


Fate.

by Mal_Evans



Series: Riley and Jeffrey [2]
Category: Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Fandom, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Age Difference, Celebrities, College, Drunken Confessions, Drunkenness, Explicit Language, F/M, Fame, Fluff, High School, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Light Angst, Moving On, Protective Parents, Protective Siblings, Publicity, References to Drugs, Rejection, Series, Sneaking Around, Teen Angst, Teenagers, The Walking Dead References, Unconventional Relationship, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-10-06 04:13:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10325366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mal_Evans/pseuds/Mal_Evans
Summary: [DISCONTINUED]Riley and Jeffrey take their relationship to the next level. Going public and breaking the news to Riley's family bring on the REAL test of their relationship.**PART 2 OF ABERRANT**





	1. Jeffrey.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone!! I will be away this weekend for a trip to NYC, so there will be no updates until sometime mid to late next week. Hope you guys enjoy!!

**5 MONTHS LATER**

 

**"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"**

"I'm looking at wedding stuff."

".. Why?"

Riley shrugged, looking back at her best friend as she closed her computer. "Just in case.."

"That's so cute. Who would have known the one girl in the world who promised to never get married ends up changing her mind!"

"I was just looking, Taylor. I'm not ready for that step yet."

"Maybe so, but you're still thinking about it.."

Riley grinned, rolling onto her back with a sigh. "Just don't mention it to Jeffrey."

"Don't mention what to Jeffrey?"

She sat up, still grinning when her boyfriend appeared in the doorway. He leaned against the doorframe of Taylor's bedroom, raising his eyebrows and causing Taylor to grin behind her phone. "Nothing, nothing at all."

Jeffrey grinned, straightening up before asking, "Are you ready to go? I wouldn't want the family thinking I broke in."

"We can go." Riley said, standing up from the bed and slipping her MacBook into its case, peeking at him just in time to see him wink. Her cheeks turned red. "Go away, I'll be down in a minute."

He held his hands up in surrender, turning and disappearing down the stairs. Taylor watched in amusement, shaking her head when Riley turned around and finished gathering her things. "Remind me again why you asked me to braid your hair? You never braid it."

Riley shrugged, "I don't know, I just want to show off my new hair.." she said, not telling her it was really because Jeffrey loved it so much. Riley decided to change up her style a bit, adding some dark brown to her hair and found the best way to show it off was to style it in many different ways. She had tried braids once before, and Jeffrey shyly explained that he thought she looked adorable.

"Well, I'd say I did one hell of a job." Taylor said, standing up from her chair and taking her can of hairspray, spritzing some in Riley's hair. "What's on the agenda for tonight?"

"All I know is that we're going to dinner, that's all he'll tell me."

"Have fun," Taylor sighed, smiling when Riley turned around and hugged her. "And you know the rule, no babies."

"Shush, you'll jinx it if you keep talking like that."

The girls laughed, before Riley shrugged on her jacket and slung her backpack over her shoulder. Jeffrey was waiting downstairs, wearing a dark gray hoodie with his Ray Bans. He smiled at the sight of her.

"I'm sorry for taking so long, girl stuff.." Riley said, smiling when he reached for her. She clapped her hands in his; both parties pulling at each other to share a chaste kiss.

"It wasn't that long, sweetheart. You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

He held her hand, pulling her out of the house and into the warm air. It was late May, and Riley's high school graduation was approaching in a mere three days and Jeffrey had insisted he take her out to celebrate.

Not long after Jeffrey's Christmas surprise, he had called her late one night and explained that he had landed the role of Negan. Riley got so excited that she almost yelled at him in congrats, but settled for whispering excitedly instead.

The conversation got heavy, though, when the excitement faded and she realized that it meant he'd be away for months on end with little breaks in between. Riley had gotten upset over the phone, and Jeffrey spent over an hour trying to calm her down. When she did, finally, he asked her if she'd be his girlfriend. Officially.

Ever since then, it was like a switch had been flipped. Riley went back to focusing solely on her education; spending less time moping over Jeffrey to ensure she could graduate. (Which wasn't even an issue, she was a bright student). She decided to wait a year before going to college, which her parents didn't agree with but they came to accept it after a few weeks. Jeffrey went away in February, where he filmed the 'introduction' scene for a few days before coming home.

Now that the seventh season had started filming, he had been away since the first week of May, but took leave (without her knowledge) to spend this time with her. Jeffrey looked at her as he drove them out of Madison, before reaching over and grabbing her hand. He could hear her smile.

Riley squeezed his hand, looking down at his tan skin. Jeffrey was never a pale guy, but the tan he had received set her back when she saw him the first time just yesterday. He was dark; almost her shade but if he got even darker he'd look Mexican.

"I hope you know I've been completely binge watching just so I can watch you as the season airs."

Jeffrey chuckled, running his thumb along her hand. "I'm surprised you're not already done."

"I like taking breaks every once in a while," she said, smiling, "I might watch three or four episodes a day for a few days and then take two weeks off. It's weird, I don't know why I do it but it's actually nice. I can let everything sink in and think it over."

"I wish I had as much control as you.." she heard him mumble. Riley didn't think she was supposed to hear that, as he had turned to her and gave her an embarrassed grin.

"So, how are you?"

Riley took her glass of sparkling juice, only a little jealous that Jeffrey got the good stuff. "You've asked me this three times already, J."

He grinned, hooking his fingers around the stem of his glass. "I guess I'm just really interested in you."

"In more ways than one, right?"

"Yes, of course." Jeffrey said, chuckling when she winked at him before taking a drink. "So, how are you?"

"Jeffrey."

"What? I'm asking a completely justified question!"

Riley giggled, setting down her cup. "I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking, for the fourth time."

**___**

Jeffrey had taken her for a walk after dinner, leading them to an outlet mall.

Riley looked up at him; her arm slid through his as they walked side by side. The sun was going down, but he still had on his sunglasses. Riley put hers on as well, even though he assured her that she didn't have to do that. She only shrugged and did it anyway.

"I feel like this is the most I've seen you for a long time." she whispered, gripping his arm tighter. Jeffrey looked down at her, before turning his attention back to the sidewalk ahead.

"You're having fun though, right?"

Riley nodded, smiling, "Yeah, of course."

"Good.. Here," he said, pointing to a small shop up ahead. "I need something sweet."

He led her inside; a family owned business called Colossal Cakes. It popped with color on the inside, giving it a retro feel and based on the line it seemed like a local hotspot.

"Have you been here before?" she asked as they went in line, not once separating. Jeffrey was secretly relishing in the attention, so he made sure to give onlookers a smug smile when they got too nosey.

"I have, yeah.. You're going to freak, sweetheart. Trust me."

The line didn't take as long as she expected to move along, and the closer they got, the more excited she became. The way the place was laid out made it hard to see the displays from the entrance, and even the line for that matter, though Riley most certainly tried. Part of the reason being it seemed all of the Giraffe's decided to come out and she couldn't see through all of the tall people.

"Would it be too much to ask for you to pick me up?" she asked, only being partially serious.

Jeffrey laughed loudly, causing her to pout but it quickly vanished when the line moved up. They were next. "I don't think that's a good idea, Riley. I'm not the most graceful of people."

She snickered, thinking back to Winter when they had taken Bisou for a walk up and down his driveway. He had tried showing off by pelting Riley with a snowball, only to be knocked over when Bisou got too excited by all of the flying snow and took off, making Jeffrey trip and fall into the white fluff.

... Basically that was the end of their walk and it took Riley three or so minutes to stop laughing and help him inside.

"Yeah, I couldn't possibly forget that." Riley said, giggling a little.

Jeffrey scoffed, already knowing what she was thinking of. "Do not bring that shit up."

"I'm sorry, but it was really funny."

As much as he wanted to avoid it, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "That was not at all funny. It was a fucking set up."

"And who set you up? Bisou?"

"Must have. I swear, she's CIA."

"You're such an idiot."

Jeffrey grinned, nudging her forward when one of the clerks called NEXT! "I know."

When they approached the counter, Riley's eyes about popped out of her head.

Holy shit, these things are huge!

Riley had seen some pretty impressive desserts in her life, but these were something else. Their cupcakes were roughly about the size of both of Jeffrey's fists put together. They had cupcakes, cake balls (that are equally as huge), ice cream, individual cakes, ice cream sandwiches, cookies, everything. 

Jeffrey watched her face as she looked over everything. He was eyeing the triple layer chocolate covered cookies, while she seemed engrossed in the cupcakes. The cashier watched her as well, smiling. "Do you have any questions, dear?" she asked.

Riley looked up at Jeffrey, before shaking her head. "No, I just.. Everything looks so good."

"Get whatever you want." Jeffrey said, rolling her eyes when she shook her head. "Come on, Riley. I insist."

"It will be too much.. Trust me, Jeffrey."

Jeffrey sighed, before telling the nice lady what he wanted. While she packed up his stuff, he looked at Riley to find she was already looking at him.

Jeffrey grinned. "What?"

"I want red velvet.. But they only have it in this really big one," she said, pointing to one of the super sized ones on the bottom shelf. These were bigger than the normal sized ones, but only because they were thicker. "Can I get it?"

"You don't even have to ask, sweetheart." he said, nodding at the woman who smiled and bent down to get Riley's cupcake.

"You're so great." Riley sighed, standing up on her tip toes to watch as Linda put the cupcake in a box.

"Who? Me or the cupcake?"

Riley laughed, smacking his arm. "You, stupid.. The cupcake is nice, too."

After he paid, they walked out of the shop. It was so blissfully warm that Riley didn't even want to think about going home. She tried carrying the bags, but he swatted at her hand, claiming he got it and she didn't have to worry.

"Where to now, babydoll?"

"I don't know.. What's even around here?" she asked. They were only a few towns over from Madison, which was nice as it wasn't a super long drive and they saved more time to be together and hang out. It was a huge outdoor plaza with all of these shops and restaurants that smelled amazing and if she hadn't just stuffed her face she'd be checking them out.

"There's a map here somewhere.." he said, looking around before pointing it out. They walked over to it, scanning the stores. Riley gasped in surprise, leaning forward to see LUSH staring back at her. "I have to go here, oh my god."

Jeffrey frowned, leaning in to see what she found. "Lush? What the hell is that?"

"It's a cosmetics store. I buy my face wash there.. And my bath bombs.. And my lavender hand lotion."

Shit, that stuff smells amazing on her.

Jeffrey cleared his throat, before straightening up. "Lead the way, Riley."

The store was located right across from a Starbucks, so they headed in the direction they had seen it when they were driving by. Riley was walking with extra pep in her step, and all it did was amuse him even more than he already was. He vaguely remembers her talking about it, but other than that his knowledge of this place was rather non-existent, but he was willing to check it out. For her.

"I'm just warning you now, they'll probably reel you in for a consultation."

He grinned, shaking his head. "I don't fucking think so."

Riley smiled, "They have stuff for men too, you know.. Maybe get something for that beard."

"I could just shave it off.."

"No! Do not."

He chuckled, not telling her that he might not have a choice soon.

**___**

"I have ten bath bombs. Do you think that's enough?"

Jeffrey put down the shaving cream he was sniffing. She approached him, her arms full of little paper bags with the stores logo on them.

"Damn, sweetheart. Do you even have a bathtub?"

She smiled shyly, shaking her head, "No, but you do.."

Jeffrey laughed, reaching over and taking most of her items. "I guess that's a good enough reason for me-"

CLICK

"OHMYGOD, you're an asshole but I love you!"

Riley was almost shoved out of the way by a woman who could have wrestled in high school. Jeffrey looked pissed, but managed to smile and put down the things he was holding. "Easy there, killer.." he said, his voice low and not at all playful.

"I was so scared when Negan came out of the RV, it was like.." Riley looked lost as hell, and if he wasn't so angry that she was almost knocked over he would have shown how amusing he found her expression.

He took a photo with the woman, giving the camera a thumbs up and Riley pretended to look at some lotion, ignoring the pain in her side when she hit the corner of the table. Jeffrey didn't see it, thankfully. He definitely would have flipped his shit.

It turns out, though, that one woman could turn into thirty more.

Poor Jeffrey

Lush was never a huge store as it was, so thirty desperate bodies trying to find their way in without knocking over all of the displays didn't sit well with the employees. They shooed everyone out, even going as far as calling security to help get everything in order.

Riley decided to stay inside, watching as Jeffrey went outside of the store to finish with the crowd. She never thought of herself as the jealous type, but she was finding it hard not to get all cranky every time a middle aged woman threw herself at her boyfriend..  **Boyfriend.**

Jeez, that never gets old.

"Are you looking for anything special?"

Riley jumped, turning to see the young woman named Lauren smiling at her. Much to Riley's word, Lauren was the one who reeled J in for a skin consultation. The sight of someone rubbing smell goods on the back of his hand was strangely comical.

"Oh, no, I'm just uh.. Looking. Waiting for someone."

"Okay! Well, if you need anything just let me know!"

"Thanks." Riley said, nodding with a smile.

**___**

"I'm going to fucking die."

Riley turned around, smiling a little when he picked up her basket of things. "It looked like you were having fun."

"Still, it wore me the fuck out."

"Does this mean you're ready to leave?"

Jeffrey led her to the register, where he paid for everything despite her heavy protesting. As they walked out of the store, the group had stayed nearby and followed them from a distance, still taking pictures and Riley looked up at him, happy that she had decided to wear her sunglasses. "Is it always like this?"

"Not really, no. It's usually very small, I don't know what changed."

They somehow managed to lose the crowd, and decided to take that chance to walk back up main street to the parking deck. Jeffrey moved closer after a while, throwing his arm around her shoulder. Riley smiled.

"It's such a beautiful night.."

"It is.. It's already hot as hell down in Georgia. It's what, seventy degrees right now?"

Riley nodded, having checked her phone while he was busy. "I can't wait until it's warm enough for swimming.. I wonder if my parents will open the pool soon."

Jeffrey chuckled, running his hand along her back as they finally approached the Jeep. She hopped in, getting comfortable when he turned on the car. "If not, I'm here for you, babe."

___

"Jeffrey, where are we?"

Instead of taking her home like she had expected, he had driven a good ten minutes before pulling into an empty parking lot. He stopped the car, turning to face her and all she could do was look at him in confusion.

"You're not going home."

She raised her eyebrow, fully interested, "Then where am I going?"

"You're staying at a hotel. With me."

Riley frowned, "A hotel? You don't have to do that, J.."

He smiled at that nickname. "I know.. But it's halfway for both of us. It's really nice, you'll love it. I'll have you home by tomorrow night."

"But what about my parents? I don't even have clothes or toiletries-"

"It's already covered, sweetheart. Your friend is quite the planner."

Taylor

".. she knew?"

Jeffrey laughed, running a hand over his forehead. "Surprise."

Riley grinned, hiding behind her hands. They totally went behind your back, and you had no idea. "I can't believe you guys pulled it off.."

"I learned from the best," He said, smirking when she smiled brightly. "It's a pain lying to your parents, but.. It's been a while. I think we deserve this time together."

Riley nodded, her cheeks turning red when he shot her a wink. Jeffrey started the car, pulling away and heading the rest of the way down until they turned back on the main road. Riley looked out the window, seeing that the sun was just a few minutes away from completely disappearing.

They drove for a few more minutes until he pulled into a hotel parking lot. It was huge. It was the kind of place her parents would stay whenever work took them out of Madison. Riley always loved hotels, so finding one she has never been to before was exciting.

"Taylor packed you a little bag. Everything is in the trunk." He said, parking the car instead of bothering with valet parking. Riley grinned at the notion. "We're already checked in, this is where I stayed yesterday."

When they gathered all of their stuff and Riley's bags, he led her inside and immediately to the elevators. As it was late, most people were leaving to go out while others seemed to be enjoying the pool. Jeffrey looked down at her as they road the elevator to the eighth floor, watching as she impatiently swayed in her spot.

Don't say anything cheesy, now.

When they reached their room, Riley had asked to use the key card. He gave it to her, holding her bag when she slid the key through the slot, before swinging the door open and rushing inside. Such a little kid.

"It's so big.." She said, taking in the room for all of it's glory. The king sized bed had been made up while he was gone, and the huge hot tub next to the bathroom called her name. Jeffrey put their stuff down, smiling when she went to check out the bathroom.

Riley looked at the bathtub that was big enough to fit at least six people, and then the shower that was equally as large across from the toilet. Everything was white marble and the wood trim was dark. It was beautiful. Maybe I can use a bath bomb after all.

She exited the room, flipping off the light and coming out to see where Jeffrey was. He was on the deck, looking at the night sky with the door wide open. She came over, peeking out, "How long are you going to be out here?"

Jeffrey shrugged, relishing in the quiet and calm atmosphere, despite the raging highway traffic a mile or so ahead. "Just a few more minutes, why?"

Riley chewed on her lip, before starting to close the sliding glass door. "Just waiting for you, is all."

Jeffrey looked up, immediately taking the hint. He smirked, taking his hands out of his pockets before turning and walking towards the girl who had already closed the door and was walking to their bed.

When she turned around, he grabbed her waist and kissed her; smashing his lips roughly against hers, making her sigh against him. Riley's hands went to his shoulders, hesitantly digging her nails into the lightly covered skin. "Jesus, sweetheart.."

"It's been a month. I miss you." She mumbled, letting her fingers play with the zipper of his hoodie. Riley unzipped it, pushing it off his shoulders, though he was more concerned with keeping a nice grip on her.

"I miss you too, Riley."

Jeffrey shrugged out of his hoodie, letting it drop to the floor without a care in the world before bringing his hands up to her own jacket, undoing the buttons before doing his best to gently yank it off of her. Damn, I gotta find her a leather jacket.

They seemed to be wrestling with each other until one got the other on the bed. Jeffrey won, of course, as he had a great advantage on her just because of size. He let his lips trail from her lips to her neck, knowing how much it drove her crazy. Her shirt was tight; so form fitting that she didn't need to wear a bra. "You're killing me, babydoll."

Riley grinned, arching her back when he slid the shirt over her head, tossing it over the side of the bed before running his hand along her braids. "What happens if I take these out?"

Riley attached her lips to his neck, gently sucking and it caused him to groan quietly. "It will make my hair wavy."

Jeffrey was quiet for a minute, before he grabbed her hair and tilted her head back; disconnecting her lips from his skin and instead taking the opportunity of biting hers.

"Please.." she sighed, raising his shirt up his torso, groaning when he grabbed her hands, holding them down and trailing kisses down to her breasts where he ran his tongue along her soft skin. "Jeffrey!"

He chuckled against her form, releasing her hands and assisting her in taking off his shirt. Jeffrey threw it, not caring where it landed. He just wanted to touch her.

"Come here, baby."

Riley wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to pick her up and move her further up onto the bed. With her head being supported by the pillows, she looked up at him and smiled. "Where are you going?" she asked, pouting when he stepped off the bed. 

"This view is for my eyes only," he said, going over to the curtains and closing them. "Nobody else."

___

"I'm so tired."

Jeffrey ran his hand through her hair; stroking the hair that was once braided but was now loose and wavy, just like Riley said. "I thought I was going pretty easy on you.." he said, smiling when she laughed quietly, nuzzling her head into his chest.

"You did.. For the first few minutes. After that it was just.."

"I'll be more gentle the next round."

Riley's eyes widened, propping her head up to look at him, "The  _next_ round?"

"Don't act so surprised, sweetheart."

Riley swallowed, laying her head back down. "At least you don't need any medical assistance.."

"Jesus Christ." she heard him say, making her laugh loudly. 


	2. 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all of you. <3

**"ONE MORE TIME, PLEASE."**

"Jeffrey, no."

"Come on, sweetheart."

_"No."_

_"I want to remember this moment!"_

Riley sighed, turning around and giving him a smile as he snapped a picture.

Jeffrey grinned, viewing the photo before pocketing his phone. "One day before you're a free woman."

"Yeah, and I'm beyond scared.." she said, coming forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. "My parents want me to start school again in the Fall, but I-"

"You want to wait.. Don't worry about them, sweetheart. It's your future."

"I know," she whispered, bringing her lips to his cheek, having to stand on her tiptoes to do so. "But they're my parents."

here for you either way, you know that."

___

Like Jeffrey, her grandparents decided it would be a great idea to make Riley stop and take five million photos after the graduation ceremony ended.

Most of them were of her alone, while the others were with somebody else, including Taylor who was reeled in when her best friend gave her a panicked look as she walked by. Cristina was in tears, dabbing her face with a tissue before pulling Riley in for probably the tenth hug in a matter of thirty minutes. "All of my babies are grown up!"

"It's okay, mom.." Riley said, giving her a tight hug. Avi watched, remembering his graduation when Riley was only nine and she had wrestled free from their dad during the group photo and instead of throwing it away they kept it, bringing it out whenever they felt like embarrassing her. It showed a blurry, arms flailing Riley and the horrified expressions of the family who watched the nine year old kid try and run for her life.

"I wish they'd have these things earlier in the day, we need to have dinner and celebrate." Grandpa said, putting away the video camera before flashing Riley a smile. "Congratulations kid, you deserve it."

Riley smiled a little, nodding her head before looking out into the crowd, looking to see if Jeffrey was there as promised. She knew it wouldn't be easy to find him, as one hundred some students and their family and friends were still filing out of the building and taking pictures. She had bought him a ticket on her last day of school, and made sure he put it in his car so he wouldn't lose it.

"Mom, I'm gonna go over here.."

"Are you going anywhere, Riley?" her mom asked, either not hearing what she said or just asking to ask.

"I'm going with a few friends, why?" she said, still looking for her boyfriend who seemed to be hiding pretty well.

"Might as well give me a hug now, you'll be out late.."

Jeffrey climbed in his car, sighing a little when she was once again swarmed by her family and friends. Of course he knew he couldn't approach her until later, but he wanted to at least let her see him. To know that he actually showed up and used the ticket she bought him (even though he offered to buy his own), she wanted to insure he got a decent seat.

He pulled out his phone, sending her a picture he managed to get of her when she was walking across the stage to get her diploma. Her brother, he assumed, had made a noise very similar to a growl when her name was called and it caused quite the stir in the audience who had giggled madly. He knew she'd be embarrassed and that Avriel would pay for that later.

Jeffrey started the car, turning down the radio and rolling the window down as there were crossing guards giving directions on where to go. He had set his phone in the cupholder, turning up the sound so he'd know when she responded.

Riley climbed into her car, taking off her cap and shoving it into her bag that was sitting on the floor. Taylor climbed in, followed by her boyfriend Devon and her friend Brittany. They were going back to Taylor's house to get ready for the huge 'blowout' that Riley didn't really want to go to, but decided to for just a few hours before Jeffrey was supposed to come and get her.

Her phone vibrated wildly on her lap, and when she had to stop at a red light she glanced down at it, seeing Jeffrey had sent her a picture message. She hid her grin, knowing that when she saw him later he wasn't going to have any personal space and Riley was going to make sure of that.

"Just one drink!"

Riley shook her head, pushing the hand of a very drunk and annoying Kevin who couldn't seem to take a hint and leave her

"I've already told you I'm good, thanks."

"Come on, sweetheart! Lighten up a b-bit!"

Riley flinched at the name; automatically thinking of J.

call me that." she scolded, yanking her arm away from him and trying to keep walking and find Taylor. He followed, however, roughly grabbing her bare arm and whirling her around, making her flinch in pain. "Dude, get off."

"I've always had a crush on you!" he said, giving her a stupid grin that made her blood boil. "I mean, not so much as when you were fat but now, goddamn girl those are some great ti-"

Much to Kevin's surprise, Riley's fist was 'politely' introduced to his nose, knocking his drunk ass onto the floor; howling in pain while blood started spewing from his nose. She stood above him; chest heaving and ignoring all of the awed looks and the laughter coming from around the two of them. Riley barely noticed the pain in her knuckles.

The calming smell of Taylor's perfume wafted through her nose, and she was pulled away from the scene, watching as everyone gathered around Kevin who had yet to stop rolling on the floor and actually get up. Riley seemed dazed, Taylor noticed, leading her over to the bathroom and shutting the door.

"What was that all about?" Taylor asked calmly, sitting her friend down on the closed toilet lid and reaching into the cupboard behind her, grabbing a washcloth.

"He just pissed me off, that's all.." Riley whispered, looking down at her feet and wincing when Taylor picked up her hand, wiping the small cut that somehow formed on three of her knuckles. "He was being an ass and wouldn't leave me alone."

"What did he say?" she asked, gently stretching out her hand, making sure they weren't bruised. Riley had never gotten into a fight for as long as they knew each other, but that didn't mean she wasn't taught how to defend herself.

"He kept shoving drinks in my face.. I yelled at him to stop, and I was trying to find you and he grabbed me, said he liked me but not when I was

Taylor clicked her tongue, digging around for some ointment. "You weren't fat."

Riley shrugged, finally looking up from her shoes and focusing in on her friend. "Even if I wasn't, he made a comment on my.."

Taylor looked up, raising an eyebrow, "Your what?"

Suddenly becoming awkward, Riley shrugged, twisting on the seat so she was facing her fully. "He started saying that my.. boobs are..

".. So you decked him?"

Riley nodded.

Taylor laughed, finally pulling out the ointment and a small layer of wrap. "Good for you, I taught you well."

Riley giggled, "You didn't even teach me. My dad did."

"Well, I'm your best friend and I think I deserve some credit."

"Thanks for doing this, Taylor."

Taylor shrugged, gently rubbing in the medicine on the small, bloody cuts. "It's no problem, I'll be a doctor someday, so.. Are you going to tell Jeffrey?"

Riley sighed, "I wish I didn't have to but he's going to ask. I don't wanna lie to him."

"Then don't.. Just tell him what happened and that you knocked Kevin out.. I mean, he's a popular kid, I have no idea why he wasn't hanging with the other idiots."

"I don't know either.. I'm going to call Jeffrey, I don't want to be here anymore."

___

"What happened to your hand?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Riley said, throwing her bag in the backseat before climbing into the passenger side. "I'll tell you when we get back."

Jeffrey sighed, staring at her as she put on her seatbelt before putting the car in drive, pulling away from the house filled with rowdy teenagers and bad decisions. Riley hadn't really explained to him on the phone why she wanted to be picked up early, but he didn't waste time in leaving the hotel to come and get her. It was just now ten and he wasn't supposed to get her until eleven.

They drove in silence for a while, until he felt a gentle hand touch his leg. Jeffrey stiffened, feeling her thumb run along his jean clad thigh before he smelled her lavender lotion that he loved so much.

"Don't be mad," Riley whispered, somehow finding it comfortable to lean over the console and nuzzle the side of his neck. "But I sort of punched somebody."

"You

Riley sniffled, burying her face into his neck and the simple action made him lose his breath. He grabbed her hand; stilling her thumb as it continued stroking him and pulled over to the side of the road, turning off the car and rolling up the windows.

"What happened, sweetheart?" he asked, turning to face her, only to find she had unbuckled her seatbelt and was crawling onto his lap, laying against the door and wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shirt. He adjusted the seat, allowing her to lean into him a little better as he started laying back.

Riley was quiet, silently holding him and Jeffrey let his hand run along her back, praying that he wouldn't hear the sounds of her crying.. That would be too much for him to handle sane.

"He was bothering me."

Jeffrey paused, the word

echoing in his head like crazy. He should have figured it would be a guy, as from what he knew Riley didn't have any female grudges and the thought of her decking another girl in the face made him feel.. odd. "Who was bothering you?"

"Just some stupid kid from school. He kept shoving drinks in my face-"

"Have you been drinking?" Jeffrey asked, bringing a hand up to brush a blonde curl away from her eyes. Riley shook her head, looking at him in the dark. "No, I didn't want to.." She began, before reciting the exact same story she had told Taylor. He stayed quiet, playing with her hair and listening to every word that came out of her mouth.

When she finished, Jeffrey sighed, leaning down to press his forehead to the top of her head. Riley relaxed against him; her fingers digging into his black t-shirt and gently tugging on it like a child, only trying to catch his attention. It worked. "I didn't even think about it.. I just did it."

There was a moment of silence between the two, before she sat up and cupped his cheeks, bringing their heads closer together. Glasses brushed against glasses, making the couple grin before Jeffrey reached up, taking hers off. "It's too dark to see your eyes but I like to imagine."

Riley smiled, watching as he placed them on her seat before gripping her hips and pressing her front to his chest, bringing their lips together.

On the ride home, she moved back to her spot, grabbing his hand and setting it on her lap, running her bandaged fingers along his skin. Jeffrey drove in silence, his mind still reeling because of her story and the nerve that damn kid had telling her what he did.

Jeffrey snickered, unable to help himself. Riley looked up, giving him a confused look but decided not to comment, instead looking down at their hands and continued what she had been doing.

"Would you ever have sex in a bathtub?"

Jeffrey blinked, looking at her with a bewildered expression. Riley only looked at him, patiently waiting for an answer like she had just asked what his name was. He wasn't sure how to answer, as it was something he had tried a few times but they were events he'd like to forget about.. those movies are full of shit.

"I-I don't know what to say to that, babydoll.."

"It's just a simple question.."

He chuckled dryly, really wanting to answer but at the same time wanted to ignore her question and distract her with something else. "I've- Uh, it's happened a few times-"

"Was it something you enjoyed?"

"They were all.. okay experiences."

Riley nodded slowly, before squeezing his hand as their hotel came to view. "Good to know."

___

Jeffrey should have known his girl had been up to something.

Instead of taking a bath, though, Riley wasted no time in starting the Jacuzzi, cradling her hand against her chest while Jeffrey excused himself to the bathroom, sitting on the toilet lid and rubbing his face with his hands.

Outside, Riley kneeled down and dug into her suitcase, looking for her bikini. If she had to get naked later on, who cares. She wasn't sure how long he'd be, so she decided to change and hop in now instead of waiting.

The water was blissfully hot, and she relaxed against the rubber padding, keeping her wrapped hand out of the water for the time being. Her bikini was red, much to her dads displeasure but it's not like she ever wore it in a public pool, only at home and at personal gatherings.. Including this one.

Jeffrey came out after a few minutes, wandering eyes darting to her quiet, relaxed figure just chilling in the hot tub. He smiled, coming over and leaning down, cupping her chin in his hand and tilting her head back so he could kiss her forehead. Riley giggled, grabbing his wrist and opening her eyes to look at him. "Getting started without me?"

"Yeah, you were taking too long.."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Jeffrey said, pressing a kiss to her lips before straightening up, looking around for his suitcase that was somehow still unpacked after almost five days of being in this damn hotel room. "If you want I'll gladly join you."

"Yes, please," Riley said, twisting around in her seat to watch him. "I thought of putting on music but I don't think I have anything romantic enough."

Jeffrey snickered, finally locating his bathing suit. "Seriously? I've been through your playlist, I beg to differ."

".. Okay, then I just want to talk."

It wasn't until he sunk into the water beside her that he finally answered, "That sounds good to me."

Riley chewed on her lip, watching as his arms dipped into the bubbling water, making his tattoos hard to see. She reached out, grabbing his arm and bringing it to her so she could trace the ink with her fingers. "It's about time I get my first tattoo."

Jeffrey smiled, though the sight of her bandaged hand made it falter, "What do you want to get?"

"I want a lot of little things.. I don't think I'll ever get anything big like what you have," she said, poking the gun on his arm. "I like the idea of having small ones with a bigger meaning.. I want a star, because my great-grandmother always told me I'd shine like one-"

"Aww, that's cute-"

Riley gave him a playful glare, "Thanks. I want something showing my love for Harry Potter, too. I have so many options with that one.."

"So, by saying 'bigger meaning', you're really saying they're important to you whether it's.. spiritual symbolism or just something you really love?"

Riley looked thoughtful, giving him a nod and poking his arm before letting it fall gently back to his side. "Pretty much sums it up, yeah."

"I was thinking about getting another.." Jeffrey said, watching as she sunk down a little, allowing the water to cover her shoulders. "I think you'll like it."

Riley grinned, watching as he gave her a dimpled smile. "Yeah? What is it?"

"You'll see."

Riley bit her lip, watching her bandaged hand float aimlessly in the bubbles of water. "Isn't this the part where we're supposed to scoot closer to each other and make up for lost time?"

Jeffrey laughed quietly, before sliding down his seat, only going farther down than her and letting the water cover his head. Riley grinned, watching as his long, tan arm reached out and snagged her waist, yanking her to him just as he came up from the water. "I don't know, but we can make it happen."

Jeffrey's hair fell in his face; his salt and pepper beard dripping with water. Riley wrapped her legs around him, bringing a hand up to brush his hair away from his face that seemed to be a good inch or so longer since she had seen him last month.

"I know you've had 'okay experiences' in this situation, so I think we should get out-"

"In a few minutes," Jeffrey whispered, bringing a wet hand up to cup the back of her dry head. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Riley grinned, sighing when he gently leaned her back; allowing her long, blonde hair to dip into the warm water. He kept her there for a few minutes before she wiggled free and sat up, wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him a deep kiss on the mouth.

___

"Hi."

"What's up?"

"I'm hungry."

Jeffrey grinned, rolling over so he was hovering right over her, "Yeah, so am I."

Warm kisses were pressed to her neck, and she allowed it by tilting her head to the side. "No, I'm really hungry, for

food."

"Can't you wait just.. ten more minutes?"

Riley pouted, letting him grab her hands and place them above her head; two small hands being held by one large one. Jeffrey's scruff tickled her skin, and she knew her throat was going to be red and irritated come morning, but it didn't bother her one bit. She could feel the tip of him down there and the feeling made her squirm in anticipation.

"Do we even have any more condoms?"

Jeffrey was silent for a moment, before the sound of the drawer opening and a light rustling sound filled her ears. His torso brushed against her breasts, making her bite her lip. "We're down to one.."

"Hope you'll be able to last until tomorrow.."

There was a ripping sound, and the bed gently shook when he slid the latex over his form. This was the first time since they were together that they weren't making out like teenagers when he put on the condom. When his face returned to it's place above hers, she grinned and allowed him to hook his free arm under her leg, lifting it to wrap around his hip.

"I think we'll be okay, sweetheart."

When he slid home, Riley fought against the tight grip he had on her hands. Jeffrey knew that she got off just by being so close to him, and denying her of that only prolonged their time together, which to him was a blessing in it's own right.

"This will be so much easier if you stop fighting against me," he mumbled, pressing his lips to her neck when she arched her back and released a breathy moan. "You need to just let it happen."

"N-not fair."

"Shhh," he chuckled, gently biting her neck when she finally stopped her squirming, "Life isn't fair, baby."

_Neither is sex, apparently._


	3. 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
> 
> \- Dr. Seuss

**WEEKS FOLLOWING GRADUATION, JEFFREY HAD TO GO BACK TO GEORGIA TO FILM.** The urge for Riley to find a job became stressful, as her mom brought home application after application and forced her to fill all of them out.

"Take it easy, Cristina. Lord knows Avi didn't get a job right out of high school."

"Yes, but he also went right to college after-"

Riley tuned them out after that.

There was a point in time, however, when enough was  _enough._

"Mom, please just leave me alone!"

 _"Riley Brooklyn Taylor,_  I am your mother!"

There was an awkward silence around the dinner table, before Riley stood up, slamming her silverware down on the table. "I'm leaving."

Her dad stood up, reaching out in an attempt to grab her arm, but Riley was too fast. She easily dodged him, swiping her keys and her wallet from the bowl in the living room before dashing out the door, leaving both parents and her brother in a state of shock.

Riley already knew where she was going, and his home seemed like a better place to be at the moment.. Even if he wasn't there.

The drive was stressful, as she had left her iPod at home and the radio only irritated her as there was nothing good on. A thunderstorm decided to roll through, and she was forced to pull over for a few minutes off the highway when the visibility was next to nothing. They were blowing up her phone, and the only way she was going to answer was if she was on the side of the road dying.

When she finally reached Jeffrey's house, she paused at the sight of a car in the driveway. It was early July and he had only been gone six weeks, which wasn't a short amount of time to her but he had explained it would be awhile until he'd be able to come home. Along with filming the show, he had multiple talk show appearances and fan conventions to attend, which only prolonged their time apart.

Riley turned off the car, watching the house as rain started to gently splatter against the windshield. The car didn't look familiar, but her curiosity was peaked when the front door swung open, revealing the same guy who brought Bisou home just months ago.

He didn't seem to notice her, but the beautiful dog beside him did. Riley got out, smiling at Bisou who fought against her leash, making the guy look up and finally realize she was there. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Riley chewed on her lip, not knowing how she was supposed to answer that. "I'm just stopping by.."

He watched her silently, allowing Bisou to lead him over; Riley kneeling down to let her lick her hand affectionately. "Huh.. You know Mr. Morgan isn't home, right?"

Riley nodded, internally laughing at the name Mr. Morgan. "Yes, I'm fully aware that he's not home."

"You're Riley, right?"

Riley stood up, flinching when a drop of rain hit her freshly cleaned glasses. "That's me.." she began, feeling a little embarrassed that he remembered her name but she was drawing a blank with his. "Uhm, who are you?"

He laughed a little, pulling Bisou's chain tighter when a rumble of thunder echoed through the ear, making the dog growl. "I'm Chris.. Listen, does Mr. Morgan know you're here?"

"No, he doesn't-"

"-Because I should probably tell hi-"

"No, I'll tell him.. What are you doing here, if I may ask?"

Chris looked down at Bisou, giving the dog a little smile. "I bring her over here once a week when he's gone.. Let her sniff the place out, feel close to him. I check the house, too. He has other people to do that but I just like to be thorough, especially when I bring her."

"Oh.. That's really sweet of you." Riley said, before looking up at the sky, "I'm gonna go in, it's raining.."

"Oh! Yeah, yeah of course.. Do you need a key?"

Riley shook her head, holding up her own set proudly. "No, I have one, thanks though.."

"No problem," Chris said, leading Bisou over to his car while Riley walked up the steps to Jeffrey's front door. "Hey, are you like.. his girlfriend?"

Riley paused, staring at the key she had just slid through the knob.  _Girlfriend._

".. Yeah, I'm his girlfriend."

___

She heard the saying that showers and storms don't mix, so she waited until it passed to start a bath.

One of the things she loved most about Jeffrey's house was his bathtub. It may be crazy, but the love she had for his made her go over the moon. When he checked them out of their hotel the last time, she told him to take all of the bath bombs home, as she had no way of using them at her own house. Jeffrey agreed, and told her he'd put them in a safe place for her.. And he did.

When she opened the bottom cupboard, she was instantly assaulted with the smell of lavender, roses, and others. She decided to settle for one of the rose bombs, as it always calmed her down and she could easily lose herself in her senses.

As she chilled in the hot water, she let her mind drift elsewhere when she laid down, the water reaching just past her ears. Her phone was laying on the bathroom counter, finally silent after getting too many calls from people she really didn't want to talk to.

_Yeah, but Avi didn't do anything._

_Okay, but you still need a break._

It was out of the ordinary when Riley began to doze off, as she could never fall asleep in a tub full of hot water.. But this time she did.

When she awoke, the water was cold and the lights were dim. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and shivering when she gained feeling in her body and really felt the temperature of the water. Riley leaned forward, draining the water before standing up, deciding to take a quick shower before utilizing his bed as her own.

A few miles away, however, roughly thirty minutes later, Jeffrey climbed out of Norman Reedus' car, grabbing his small carry-on before turning to his friend who was gathering all of his things, too. "Thanks for the ride, man."

"No problem.. Hey, are you sure you want to go home? You can crash on my couch or something."

"Nah, I'm going to call my dog sitter, have him bring Bisou home tomorrow morning."

Norman nodded, seemingly content with his answer before shaking Jeffrey's hand, pulling him in for a one armed hug before Jeffrey walked a few parking spaces to the right, climbing in the Uber he had requested for not too long ago.

He told the driver his address, before leaning back in his seat and pulling out his phone, wincing when the battery showed  _10%._  He went through his messages, only replying to the important ones before he got to Riley's inbox, pausing when he saw there was an unread message from her. Jeffrey tapped on it, bringing up their chat and his heart stuttered at the sight.

She had sent him a picture, curled up in bed and wearing her thick frames. Riley was giving the camera a gentle smile, and the simple caption read, goodnight.

It was sent not too long ago, and though he was sure she wouldn't be awake to see it, he simply replied, night, sweetheart.

Imagine his surprise, however, when the sight of her car in his driveway made him about jump out of the vehicle and dash into his house.

_Shit, that girl is going to be the death of me._

He quickly paid the driver, giving him more than needed before grabbing his bag and dashing up the stairs, shoving the key in the lock before sliding in quietly. The house was dark, save for a faint light coming from the kitchen.

There she was, dressed in an oversized hoodie (his, he might add), and leaning against the breakfast bar with a bottle of juice next to her. Riley was scrolling through her phone, and the moment she felt energy course through her veins she looked up, locking eyes with him.

".. Hi."

Riley chewed on her lip, clicking off her phone before straightening up, watching as he stopped right in the archway. "I had some trouble at home.. Didn't know where else to go."

Jeffrey sighed, getting an ache in his chest now. He already knew that it was her parents; more notably her mother, as this has been a topic of discussion many times before in the past. He felt for her, and even if he was mad (which he's not), he'd only ever sympathize with her. "I'm sorry to hear that, sweetheart."

There was a moment of silence, and before he knew it she was heading right for him, standing on her tiptoes and throwing her arms around his neck. Jeffrey slid his arms around her, squeezing her tight and he could have sworn he heard her gently giggle.

"Does this mean you'll come home whenever I break into your house?"

Jeffrey grinned, picking her up and carrying her over to the bar, lifting her up and setting her on a stool. "I don't know how but you've summoned me, sweetheart."

Riley returned the grin, watching as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I thought you said you wouldn't be home for a while?"

"That was weeks ago, Riley."

She frowned, watching as he went to the refrigerator to get himself a bottle of water. "It doesn't seem like it.."

___

_"You smell like roses."_

Riley grinned, hiding her face in the pillow. She could feel Jeffrey's hand gingerly touch her back, before trailing over her hip and up her stomach, grabbing at her skin. "It's all because of my bath bomb."

He made a sound similar to a growl, leaning forward and pressing his lips to her neck. "Fucking hell, do they have this shit in perfume or something?"

"I'm not sure.. I'll check for you." Riley said, squirming when he bared his teeth and bit her neck. "It's late, don't start something you can't finish."

Jeffrey sighed, mumbling against her neck, "Why do we always find ourselves in bed?"

Riley blinked, realizing that he made a good point and that they always found themselves here somehow. "I mean.. Where else are we gonna sleep?"

Jeffrey smiled, his dimples showing, "You know that's not what I meant."

"Well, I enjoy this time, so.." Riley said, finally turning around and having her upset body lean over him. She kissed his cheek, wrapping herself in him and Jeffrey gladly held her tight. "I wish I could just go back with you."

The silence was uncomfortable.

Riley leaned up, making sure he didn't fall asleep on her. He was awake, in fact, staring at her with an unreadable expression. ".. why don't you?"

She blinked, both of them giving each other the same thoughtful look. "What would I tell everyone?"

He sighed, leaning his head back against the pillows. "I don't know."

She laid her head back down, knowing perfectly damn well she wanted to follow him wherever his work took him. These weeks apart we're starting to wear on her, and it only got worse with graduation. Riley always knew her parents were strict on her future, and all of her endeavors, but it has gotten progressively worse and she didn't know how much more she could take.

"Did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Jeffrey stroked her hair, before angling her head so she'd look at him. "I asked if you've given any thought about telling them."

Riley swallowed, feeling her heart drop in her chest. "I have.."

"And?"

"I.. I'm scared of what they're going to do.. what they're going to say."

"Me too.." Jeffrey said, causing her to look at him. "I mean, for you, not for me."

"They'll kick me out."

"You don't know that."

_"They'll kick me out."_

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault.. They're not going to be supportive, at all. They're already putting me in a bad position as it is, it's like whatever I do they just shit on it.. I'm not ashamed of you, Jeffrey."

He was silent, and before she knew it he was back to stroking her hair. "I know.. I'm not ashamed of you, either."

"Please, you don't even have to tell me that."

"Ditto to you, too."

Riley smiled a little, "Well, I'm the one with the rude parents, not you."

"Still.. I just thought you should know that."

___

_"Smiiiiiile."_

Jeffrey looked up, blinking when the flash of her camera temporarily blinded him. "Fuck, baby."

Riley grinned, lowering her phone and checking out the photo. "Aww, that's so cute."

Jeffrey looked down at his sandwich, listening to the sounds of the small cafe they found themselves sitting in. It had been a few days since she showed up at his house, and only a day since she finally contacted Avi and said she was staying with a friend.

"Why did you take my picture?" he asked, smiling when she set her phone down and put a potato chip in her mouth.

_"I wanted to remember this moment."_

He smirked, remembering her picture he took in the bathroom of their hotel on their last day. "Wow, that's adorable."

She giggled, pulling the crusts from her sandwich and flicking them into a separate pile. "I learned from the best."

"That's even cuter."

Jeffrey must have been too caught up in her to realize there was a paparazzo situated across the street, sipping coffee and watching the duo eat a simple lunch together. He leaned back against the bench, before bringing his camera up to snap a picture of the unsuspecting couple.

"I think you should keep your beard forever."

Jeffrey laughed, picking at his lunch. "Is that so?"

"Yeah.. I love it. Especially when you smile because it shows your dimples."

His heart softened at her confession. "Thank you, sweetheart."

It was a sweet moment, but Riley could admit they were on the train to cheese town.

When they finally finished their lunch, they stood up and threw away their trash. It was a beautiful day in the Big Apple and Riley wanted nothing more than to take a walk through Times Square.

"Where to now, Riley?"

Riley shrugged, slipping on her sunglasses, Jeffrey doing the same. "How about you decide this time? You always have me choose."

"I'm an old man, you know all of the things that are hip."

Riley laughed loudly, looking up at him. "You did not just say that."

"What? Hip?"

"Please tell me you're joking."

"Fuck no, those are the words of my generation, babydoll."

She was in hysterics for the next few minutes, and all Jeffrey could do was grim and keep pace with her while they got a few strange looks. He fought the urge to give all of them the finger.

Once again, they were followed by the lone paparazzo, just waiting for the moment to snap another picture. He could taste the money on his tongue. What magazine in their right mind wouldn't pay big bucks for a few great shots of someone who was recently thrust into The Walking Dead spotlight?

When she could finally contain herself, she said, "So, what have you decided?"

"There's so much shit to do.." he said, turning the corner that placed them at Rockefeller Center. "Have you been to  _Top of The Rock?"_

Riley shook her head, wanting to grab his hand. "No, but don't you need a reservation for that?"

He shrugged, pressing the button to give them the walk signal. "Only way to find out is to try.. you in?"

"How many floors?"

"Around seventy, give or take a few."

Riley gulped, now really wanting to hold onto him and tight. "I don't really like heights.."

Jeffrey smiled, grabbing her hand and pulling her along when they were given the signal to walk. "It's so beautiful you won't even have time to be scared."

As Riley somewhat predicted, there was about a twenty minute wait before they'd be able to go up. Jeffrey bought the tickets, explaining they'll be back in time for their turn. Riley swallowed, having examined the building when they walked in and..  _heights._

They walked across the street, walking past the rink and right to the Lego store, peeking in the windows. Riley's childhood and Legos didn't mix, as she was more of a Barbie and a Polly Pocket type girl, though she played with cars and toy soldiers for a long time. Avi, however, was the one who had almost every Lego set that was available at the time and spent hours and hours building.. Riley only liked knocked them down.

Riley could tell that Jeffrey wanted to go inside, so she chuckled and gave him a nod of approval.

"Just a few minutes.." he promised, before leading her inside.

Jeffrey played with Legos growing up, but playing with them as an adult wasn't something he spent time doing. The only time he ever really touched them was when he was playing with the youngsters in his own family, but seeing what they offered to kids now made him happy inside.. And sometimes jealous, depending on the set.

There were a few displays, and Riley's favorite out of all of them was the monkey. Jeffrey did his own thing, asking a few questions and doing his best to keep her in his sights.

Riley looked through the displays, secretly hoping that they had a Harry Potter or even a Walking Dead set somewhere to go along with the endless Star Wars and Disney sets they had. Finding nothing, she pouted, taking her phone out to go and snap a picture of the monkey.

When it was time, they set out to go back to the Observation deck. Riley began to get nervous, letting his words circle around in her head on repeat.  _"'It's so beautiful you won't even have time to be scared.'"_

Once inside, they were told to head up a winding staircase that was placed next to a beautiful chandelier. Riley admired it as they walked up, wanting to reach out and touch it, but the thought of it tumbling to the ground and shattering made her steer clear of it.

Like expected, they had to go through security. Luckily Riley only had her phone, as Jeffrey said she wasn't allowed to spend any of her own money. Jeffrey had his keys, phone, and his wallet. They were in and out pretty quickly.

"Are you guys going to take a picture?"

There was a small bench that resembled one of the steel beams shown in the iconic photo of the men sitting out for their lunch break while the building was being built. It showed the New York skyline in the background, and Riley and Jeffrey shared a look before situating themselves on the steel beam replica.

The woman behind the camera was pretty; dark skinned with a heavy accent. She smiled widely, "Smile for thee photo!"

They leaned against each other, smiling widely and the woman snapped a photo, before saying, "Act like you are going to push 'im off!"

Riley grinned, angling herself and placing her hands against his chest, unable to keep from laughing as he pulled the most terrified face he could muster, leaning over like she was actually in the process of pushing him off.

"Excellent!" the woman said, gesturing for them to stand up, holding her hand out where a thick piece of cardboard slid out from under the camera. "If you'd like to purchase your photos, take these to the stand at the top of the building, you can buy them there."

Jeffrey nodded, thanking her and taking their key card. Riley smiled, completely forgetting the fact that they were about to go seventy stories into the air. They walked down the hall, walking past a huge short film display before being ushered in another part of the building where a male worker directed them to an elevator.

Much to her disappointment, they weren't alone.

A few more small groups joined them, making Riley and Jeffrey stay in the back left corner. Riley leaned against his arm, watching as the doors slid shut and the lights went off.

Her eyes widened, looking up at him just as the ceiling turned into colors of blues, reds, greens, and purples. They shot up, the lights and swooshing music giving them a feeling of being weightless.. And high.

Riley leaned closer, feeling like the slightest movement would dislocate their elevator and send them tumbling towards the basement. She watched as the numbers crept forward quickly.  _ **58\. 59. 60. 61. 62.**_

When they reached floor  ** _67_ ,** they stopped.

Riley bit her lip, holding her breath as they stepped off the elevator.

"Right this way, in through here.."

Jeffrey slowly pulled her down the hall, turning the corner where the windows revealed the skyline. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was bright and shining, making everything bright and reflective.

"Oh my God.." Riley said, sliding her hand down his wrist and grabbing his hand, pulling him towards one section of the window. "It's so.."

Jeffrey smiled, looking out at the view he's seen hundreds of times, yet it never gets old. "I know, it's amazing.. Especially at night."

Riley grinned, realizing he was right. It  _was_ too beautiful to be afraid. "We should come back when it's dark.. When it's nice, though. I wanna see the stars and all of that cheesy romantic crap."

Jeffrey laughed, feeling eyes on them but he couldn't care to even acknowledge it. "Well, it's even better outside, come on."

"O-outside?"

He grinned, taking her hand and leading her past the small gift shop and the booth to purchase photos. There was an outside deck waiting, a few people littering and taking pictures.The outside wasn't too bad, as there was a light breeze and thankfully it didn't seem that the building was.. moving. It was a relief, as Riley cautiously approached the large windows keeping everyone safely inside and away from the edge. Jeffrey hung back, taking his phone from his pocket and putting her into focus.

He snapped a photo of her with her back to the camera, before smiling and walking closer, deciding to record her instead. "Hey, sweetheart."

"Why do you always have to take pictures of me?"

"I'm recording now, baby."

"Noooo!" she said, laughing and quickly turning away. "Turn that off!"

After following her around for a little while, he finally pocketed the phone and they decided to stand and line and see about buying their pictures. It took a little longer than they liked, however, and the moment their pictures showed up on screen, Jeffrey said they'd take two copies of each.

"That will be $20," the cashier said, giving Jeffrey a gentle smile.

Jeffrey handed over his card, ignoring the odd looks Riley was giving him.

_Ten dollars per picture? Jesus.._

"You can't put a price on us, sweetheart."

___

Times Square was light and bright come nightfall.

Since they had a later lunch, Jeffrey had been craving ice cream and decided that they should stop and get some. Riley's portion was considerably smaller than his, but he also didn't have a shit load of sprinkles covering his ice cream.

"Why just vanilla? Why not something fun, like chocolate?"

Riley shrugged, licking her mostly eaten cone and walking beside him in complete content. "I just like the simple things, I guess."

Jeffrey looked thoughtful for a moment, before he seemed to accept her answer and finished the last few bites of his cone. "Those sprinkles cost me an arm and a leg, though."

Riley looked shocked, giving him a look of complete and utter disbelief. "No way! Yours was almost three dollars more than mine!"

Jeffrey chuckled, "It's my word against yours, baby."

"I'll just look at the receipt."

He raised an eyebrow, reaching into his pocket and pulling out said receipt that was crumbled and temporarily forgotten. "This receipt?"

"Yeah.. What are you doing?"

"Nothing, nothing at.." he didn't even finish, crumpling the paper and tossing it in the nearest trash can.

"Jeffrey, you ass."

"I never said I played fair, now did I?"

Riley glared, shoving him before tossing the last bite into her mouth. "You suck."

"Don't hate the player, hate the game," he said, leaning in close so he was whispering in her ear. "Don't be too petty." he whispered, drawing out the last word longer than necessary. 

**click, click, click**

"Go away, you're giving me a headache."

**click, click, click**

"Normally I'd say okay, but it's getting late. We should start heading back to the car."

Riley pouted, pausing so she could loop her arms through his.

They started walking towards the parking garage Jeffrey had parked in, and he glanced down at her when they were stopped by a red hand signal.

_Might as well tell her tonight, it's as good of a time as any._

_When we get home._

Riley basked in the warm breeze and all of the lights the rest of the walk. Jeffrey was quiet; quieter than usual and she looked up at him, only to see he looked deep in thought and she decided to leave it for later. 

___

"I have something to tell you."

They were sitting on the front steps, a blanket wrapped around Riley and watching as Bisou pranced around, sniffing the gravel and running around in circles. It was cooler here than in the city, but neither felt like turning in quite yet.

"What is it?" she asked, peeling her eyes from the dog to look up at him. His lips twitched, noting the height difference even when they were sitting down.

Jeffrey took a deep breath, looking down at his girlfriend who was watching him with curious eyes.

"Jeffrey? Are you going to tell me?"

"Yeah, I just.. I'm not really sure how to say this, because I want it to be the  _right_ way, and I really don't want to fucking screw this up because I have a tendency to do that."

Riley scoffed, watching Bisou walk up and perch on the step right below J. "I highly doubt that, whatever it is.. Just tell me."

Jeffrey swallowed, before reaching over and grabbing her hand under the blanket. The simple action caused her heart to flutter, and she looked up at him with admiration. "Jeffrey.."

"I love you, Riley."

She started to tear up.

"Oh no.. That's not the reaction I was expecting, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry," she laughed a little, looking up at him with an embarrassed smile. "I just.. It doesn't really feel real, you know?"

"You don't have to say it back.." he whispered, looking down when she squeezed his hand. "I just wanted you to know how I feel."

"I love you too, Jeffrey. Don't be ridiculous."

He felt a swell of pride course through him, and if he wasn't too manly man to admit it, he may have cried a little at the revelation that his girl felt the same way about him. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Jeffrey pulled her into his side, squeezing her shoulders and she let her temple rest against him, sighing in content. There was that usual silence between them, before Riley gently spoke up, "Can you say it again?"

Jeffrey grinned, squeezing her shoulders tight and pressing a kiss to her head. "I love you, Riley."

"I love you too, Jeffrey."

They grinned, looking at each other and giving each other a deep, passionate kiss. 


	4. 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything specific you wanna see? Request some ideas, I may work them into the story. :)
> 
> Enjoy!!

**SOMEWHERE IN MADISON, NEW JERSEY, CRISTINA TAYLOR SAT AT HER DESK, GOING THROUGH SOME PAPERWORK.**

It had been five days since her only daughter left home, taking absolutely nothing with her besides her cell phone and car keys.

Avriel, however, claimed to have talked to her and found out that she was staying with someone, unnamed, but safe. Cristina had driven over to Taylor's house, hell bent on finding her and bringing her home, only to find that she had no idea that Riley even left and hadn't heard from her either. It wasn't until her parents came out, explaining that she wasn't staying with them that Cristina actually believed it was true.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't concerned, but the idea that her own flesh and blood didn't want to follow through with her dreams of Riley going to a great college and getting a great education for an excellent future career is what bugged her nonstop. She wanted her daughter to understand that life isn't a game, and her days of being a kid were over and it was time to woman up and start securing her future.

Cristina was having another late night, as her husband had come down with the flu and was now bedridden. That meant she was left with all of the paperwork to finish before their closing trial in two days. The older woman sighed, before leaning back in her chair and grabbing her phone. It was time for a break, and what better than to scroll through  _Facebook_ and seeing what everyone else was doing?

It wasn't until she was halfway through her feed when a chat head popped up, revealing a work colleague had messaged her. 

**Isn't this your daughter?**

Cristina frowned, clicking on the link and watching as the article loaded. The caption read, in bold, black letters,  _ **The Walking Dead Star Spotted With Mystery Blonde In NYC!**_

Cristina was horrified at the sight of her daughter walking through the streets of New York City, her arm slipped through one of an older man who was probably her age, maybe even a little older. She knew it was Riley; her hair, figure, and her face were like the back of her hand and Cristina found herself standing up, staring at the phone in shock.

_ **Just three months after making a legendary appearance on THE WALKING DEAD, the fan favorite Jeffrey Dean Morgan, 50, was spotted out in NYC Wednesday afternoon having a romantic lunch with a mystery woman. Witnesses say the pair were seen talking and laughing, holding hands and having the time of their life. The girl, though, was unidentifiable and it is unclear whether or not she is a person of fame or an average, everyday citizen.** _

_**It is believed that the couple has been together for a while, as witnesses claimed to have seen them around the city another time many months ago, but Morgan's status at the time was not one of public interest. It is thanks to his career skyrocketing that he is now thrust back into the limelight for good.** _

_ **"She appears to be really young, but they seem to be extremely happy," a bystander commented, having seen the happy couple before, "They're always laughing, holding hands and hugging each other. They must be in a very good place."** _

Cristina stopped reading, scrolling back up to stare at the photo of her daughter and the man she now remembered as the one who Avi had introduced to them over Thanksgiving. She thought back, trying to remember if he showed any unusual behavior towards her at the time and she came up with nothing.

She went upstairs, peeking into her room to find her husband asleep. Cristina sighed, turning around and walking to Riley's room, opening the door and flipping on the light. It was clean; the bed made and the floor clear of any debris. Riley's desk was to the right, not a paper out of place and Cristina went over, wanting to do some investigating.

The first drawer was full of papers, pens, and colored pencils. There was a folder, stuffed with a few pieces of artwork that showed nothing of interest. The second drawer, nothing, but Riley's Macbook and her charger. After finding nothing at all, she slammed the last drawer shut and stood up, trying to come up with anything that could help her find out where this man lived or how to contact him.

Her bedside drawer called her name.

Cristina sat on her bed, opening the drawer and finding her television remote, an iHome speaker, a few mints, and a few CD's that were in pristine condition. At the bottom, was a little notebook and she figured that this was her last chance.

The first few pages were of doodles; once again nothing of concern or anything that could help her with the situation. Cristina had to smile, though, when she came across a list of birthday ideas for Avi that was coming up in a few short weeks. As she observed the list, two pieces of paper slipped out from somewhere in the notebook and onto her lap.

The larger note was on paper she immediately recognized from her parents' house. She grabbed it, ripping it open to find:

You're as cute now as you were back then.   
Don't think about it too much.. I know that's the reason you hid in the bathroom. You're gorgeous, sweetheart. I'll even show you old pictures of me to make you feel better. .. Unless you don't want to and that's totally fucking fine, It'll save me the embarrassment.

Jeffrey

Cristina swallowed, feeling her hands start to shake before she set it on Riley's bed, reaching for the smaller strip of paper. She opened it, revealing a phone number in the same writing.

_**Bingo!** _

Cristina gave a sly smile, before picking up her phone and dialing it, not minding the time.

An hour away, Jeffrey Dean Morgan sat in his home office, (why he had one, he wasn't really sure), going through lines for the next episode he was set to film starting next weekend. For reasons unknown, he had become restless laying next to a sleeping Riley and decided to get up and do something productive. His mind wouldn't shut up, so he figured if he stimulated it enough it would stop and he'd at least get a decent night's sleep.

His phone startled him; the ring tone blasting through the quiet atmosphere and breaking him of his thoughts. He reached for his phone, chuckling a little when his heart was kicked into overdrive.

The number was shown as unknown, so he let it go to voicemail. It was rare that those numbers were for work purposes, and a lot of times he was worried some fan somehow got a hold of it and knew that if he answered he'd have to go through the hassle of changing it..  _Thank God for an automated voicemail._

He tried getting back to studying the script, but found that it was becoming difficult. He couldn't stop thinking about Riley, and how she had told him she loved him, and vice versa. Never in a million years would he ever believe that a teenage girl would make him feel things he thought only existed in those cheesy ass romance movies he could barely stand to watch. But here he was, head over heels for a young woman who felt the same and wasn't afraid of showing it.. At least when they're alone.

His phone beeped, revealing he had a voicemail. His curiosity got the better of him, as he snatched the device back up and went to his inbox, seeing that it was a thirty second message.

_"If this is Jeffrey Morgan, I_ _want_ _you to know that_ _I_ _know my 18 year old_ _daughter_ _is staying with you. I want you_ _to_ _bring_ _her home_ _**tomorrow,** _ _or_ _I_ _**will** _ _call the police!"_

Jeffrey swallowed, pulling the phone away from his ear when the phone beeped, showing the message was over. He listened to it two more times; as if his ears were deceiving him and it was just his imagination being stupid. It was Riley's mom, Cristina, if he remembered correctly and she was  _pissed_ _._

_Fuck, what am_ _I_ _supposed to tell Riley?_

He didn't want to go upstairs and wake her up, but after ten minutes of battling with his thoughts he stood up, tossing the booklet on the desk and clicking off the lamp.

Jeffrey went into his room, seeing her curled up under the blankets and fast asleep. Now that her hair had dark highlights, it was harder to see compared to where it was all blonde. He made her out, though, her head buried into a pillow and one of her arms stretched out towards his side of the bed. His stomach fluttered.

_Christ,_ _don't_ _sound so cheesy all of the time._

He approached her side of the bed, slowly sitting down on the edge of the bed, reaching over and running his hand along her back, going to her neck where he massaged her warm skin with his big hand. "Riley? Wake up, sweetheart."

Like he expected, she didn't budge.

"Riley- I need you to wake up."

Nothing.

Jeffrey sighed, knowing that he would have to be more assertive just to get her to stir in her sleep. He shook her, listening to the quiet grunt that escaped her lips before she leaned up on her arm, giving him a tired, confused glance, "What's wrong?"

She was so adorably tired that he almost forgot why he even bothered in the first place. Jeffrey hesitated, before saying, "Your mom just called me."

"What?"

"Your mother just called me. How did she get my number?"

Riley was quiet for a minute, before the realization that her mom went snooping practically slapped her in the face. "That.. She went through my stuff," Riley said, twisting around so she was now sitting on her butt. Jeffrey's hand dropped to his lap. "I-I kept your phone number in my journal when we first met, in case I lost it and she must have went through my things."

Jeffrey cursed loudly, standing up and wiping his hands over his eyes. "What the fuck, Riley?"

"Why are you getting mad at me? What was I supposed to do?"

"She fucking called me and demanded that I bring you home.. Threatened me with the  _cops."_

"Jeffrey-"

"That was so careless of you!"

"Okay, why are you upset with  _me?_ It's not like I'm constantly thinking about the fact that I had that in my journal, J. I forgot."

Jeffrey stared at her, before swallowing back some bile.  _Shit_.

"I'm eighteen, she can't tell me what to do.. And how would she.."

"How would she what?"

"How would she know I'm with you?"

Jeffrey frowned, having not thought of that at all. He pulled out his phone, going to Google and begrudgingly typing his name in.

The newest article posted featured none other of him and Riley. He sighed loudly, not even bothering to read the article before dropping his arm to his side. "Someone recognized me. There's pictures of us all over the internet."

Horrified, Riley stood up, yanking his phone from his grasp- ignoring his protesting and started reading the article. Unknown to her, it was the same one her mother had read just minutes ago. Riley always knew there was the chance of this happening, but the idea of it doing so before she even told her family of her and Jeffrey is what upset her the most.

"Riley-"

"Don't say anything."

Jeffrey paused, knowing he fucked up by letting his temper get the best of him. He knew it wasn't her fault, but having someone threaten him with the police wasn't something he was prepared to tolerate.

Riley was quiet for a few minutes, and based on her breathing, he knew she was trying not to break down and cry. Jeffrey awkwardly stood there, wanting to comfort her but he knew that it wasn't a good idea in the slightest.. Riley would probably deck him.

"I understand that you're angry," she began, still not looking at him, "But blaming this on me was so.. wrong. I'm sorry that I didn't throw away that stupid piece of paper, but if I knew that she wouldn't trust me enough and go through my things I would have thrown it away the second I put it in my phone."

When he didn't reply, she walked over and forced his phone back into his hand. Her eyes were watery, and Jeffrey found it hard to look her in the eye, knowing he was part of (if not all) the reason why she was upset in the first place.

"I'll call her in the morning.. If it's such a big deal to you I'll just go home; let her have her way just like everything else."

"Riley-"

"We just talked about this last night, Jeffrey! It's bad enough that she didn't hear this from me. If my dad knows it too, he's going to be even more pissed off than her! But that doesn't matter, as long as it doesn't involve you, right?"

Jeffrey glared, "Okay, now you're just being ridiculous."

"Doesn't feel too good, does it?"

"You need to stop."

Riley shrugged, turning to crawl back into bed. "Don't worry about it, Jeffrey. I'll handle it so you don't have to worry."

___

"Where have you been, young lady?"

"Don't even start mom, I know you called  _him_  last night."

"I'm so disappointed in you, Riley. What in the  _hell_  were you thinking!?"

"It's really none of your business, mom.." Riley said, pulling Jeffrey's leather jacket closer around her pajama clad body. It was mid-morning, and Jeffrey was still upstairs sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms. She didn't sleep much after Jeffrey woke her up, and her head was so swamped with bad thoughts that she couldn't hold off anymore.

"You're my daughter, Riley Brooklyn! I want your ass home now! Don't make me tell your dad-"

Riley sighed, rubbing her forehead with her freehand. "That doesn't work on me anymore, mom. I'm sure he'll find out sometime today with or without you."

It was quiet on the other end, to the point where Riley thought they had lost connection. Just as she was about to hang up, her mom spoke on the other end, her voice calmer than before, "Come home today, or I will report him to the police. You're eighteen years old, you have no business being with him!"

"That's just it, mom.. I'm eighteen. Eighteen! I'm legally an adult, and nothing about this relationship is anything but consensual. I'm not being forced into anything, and I'm happy, mom. He isn't doing anything wrong, and neither am I."

"Riley, I am not going to argue about this with you."

"You're right, mom. I'll be back for my stuff later."

_"RILEY!"_

And with that, Riley hung up, fighting the urge to throw her phone across the way and into the woods.

Tears stung her eyes, and she slumped down, taking a seat in the same spot they had just been sitting in twelve hours before. Bisou was whining at the door, and after a few minutes Riley stood up, opening the door and letting her out. The Rottweiler walked around the driveway, sniffing the gravel before doing her business in the grass. Riley wiped her eyes, basking in the cool breeze and wishing everything would just disappear for a while.

Jeffrey's leather jacket, though oversized, was incredibly warm and the scent of him somewhat calmed her down, even though there was a part of her still angry at him for yelling at her. Maybe she was irresponsible, keeping his number for this long, but never in a million years would she peg her mom to go through her things. Yeah, they didn't always have the best track record, but she was never a bad kid and it seemed very uncalled for.

Bisou saddled up beside Riley, sitting on her hind legs next to the teen and she couldn't help but smile, wrapping an arm around the dog. It always angered her that her parents never let them get a companion of their own, but being with Bisou now was almost as therapeutic as seeing an actual shrink.. Though Riley was sure they didn't actually help at all.

Like her mood, the sun eventually was covered by dark clouds. A rumble of thunder was heard in the distance, and it wasn't until a flash of lightning made her jump out of her skin that she ushered Bisou inside.

The sight of Jeffrey in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee startled her. He looked up just as she came in, Bisou in tow and wearing his jacket. His heart softened at the sight and he was disappointed when she turned and walked back the way she came.

"Riley!" He called, putting the coffee pot down and chasing after her. By chasing, he meant walking after her and watching at the bottom of the staircase where she was already halfway up, pausing and turning to look down at him.

"What?" She asked, her voice soft yet not at all friendly, if that was even possible.

"Just talk to me, baby."

Riley contemplated going back down to him, but ultimately shook her head and continued back up the steps. "I just want to be alone."

Another rumble of thunder shook the house, and if Bisou hadn't started making a fuss about it he would have ran up the steps after her. He bent down, soothing the dog and stroking her ears back.

Upstairs, Riley stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and observed the bags under her eyes. She sighed, seeing how much more prominent they were after receiving only a few hours of sleep. She always had them, as it was genetics, but she didn't have any makeup to cover them up and she debated on whether or not she actually wanted to go home and get her stuff.

Riley turned on some warm water, before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and attempting to make herself relax. As a kid, her great grandmother always told her to use warm water instead of cold if she needed a little soothing, because it was meant to be relaxing and not something to jumpstart your heart.

Jeffrey came upstairs, coffee in his hand and walked into his bedroom to find the bathroom was occupied. He sat down on the edge of the clean bed, wondering when she made it. He was prepared to wait as long as needed for her to come out of the bathroom.

He wasn't surprised when she came out less than three minutes later.

Riley paused at the sight of him, not hearing him come up. He watched her quietly, not knowing if she was going to come and sit next to him or make a run for it.. He'd follow her, coffee be damned.

Riley came over, sitting next to him on the bed and sighing.

Jeffrey held his coffee cup, bobbing his leg and silently waiting for her to say something. Anything.

".. I called my mom." she said, after a few long, painful minutes.

Jeffrey nodded, squeezing the black cup in his hand. "And?"

"She demanded that I come home, threatened to tell my dad if I didn't.. Brought up calling the police, basically what she told you."

"What did you say?"

Riley told him what happened, mostly word for word but had to improvise some of her mother's replies, as she had been so angry that she only heard what needed to be heard. Jeffrey didn't say anything, only nodding on occasion to show he was still listening.

When she finished, it was quiet, despite the raging weather outside.

"Are you actually hinting that you're going to be crashing with me?"

Riley peeked at Jeffrey, before smiling a little, even if she really didn't want to. "Unless you want me sharing a dumpster with some hobo."

Jeffrey grinned, shaking his head and looking down at her when she leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder. The simple action caused his heart to swell, and he leaned down and carefully pressed a kiss to her head.

"What about your brother?"

Riley swallowed, staring ahead at the wall. She hadn't thought about him, and she knew that he wouldn't be happy with the concept at first, but he'd learn to accept it.. He was her brother, and he loved her, right?

"Avi will understand.. He's not like my parents," she whispered, mostly referring to her mom. "What I said last night, about my dad, the truth is I really don't know how he'll react.. I mean, he'll be mad but I don't know for how long. My mom, though, I'm probably already disowned."

"Maybe it will be different this time," he offered, though he felt like he was just talking nonsense. "We can't really know for sure."

Riley shrugged, effectively ending the conversation.

**___**

Some hours later, they pulled up to Riley's house.

Jeffrey turned off the car, before leaning back in his seat. Riley stared at the dashboard, not making a move to get out of the car and he wondered if he should have forced her to stay home. She resisted, though, wanting to get her things and go back with him.

"I should wait out here.." Jeffrey said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Riley looked at him, frowning and all he could do was stare, not wanting to make things worse if her parents happened to be home.

"They might not let me come back out.."

Jeffrey knew she was just making excuses, but he sighed, unbuckling his own belt and stepping out of the car after her.

___

She had all of her stuff.

Riley observed her room quietly, wondering if this was some sick joke and her mom will just pop out of nowhere and say 'APRIL FOOLS!'

Though, of course, it wasn't April Fools.

Nobody was home. Her parents' bed was rumpled, and based on the amount of tissues, pills, and trash littered on her dad's side of the bed, he was sick. He was probably at the doctor and that's why the house was empty. Jeffrey went downstairs, keeping an eye out in case they weren't alone anymore.

Riley pulled out her phone, going through her contacts and finding Avi's name. She hadn't talked to him in two days, and a part of her wondered if he knew anything. If her mom said anything, or maybe he saw an article. The idea of him being so pissed at her that they stopped talking for good made her eyes water.

She called him, putting the phone to her ear and biting on her lip and hoping he at least picked up. And if he did, he wouldn't be screaming at her.

_"What's up, pumpkin?"_

She almost cried in relief. "Hi, Jesus."

"Are you finally coming back home? Mom seemed pretty emotional when I left this morning."

Riley was quiet, letting it sink in, "What do you mean emotional?"

She heard a shuffle on the other end, and suddenly the sound of traffic invaded her ear drums. There was a sigh. "I mean, she was strangely quiet and went around banging cupboards, so I guess I don't really know."

"Great," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Where are you?" she asked, praying that he was still in town.

"Just doing a few errands. I'm thinking about hitting Aura before I head over to Jasons-"

"Could I meet you there?" She asked, turning just as Jeffrey appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame and sticking his hands in his pockets.

"You're in town?"

"Yeah.." she said, not giving him any details whatsoever. "What do you say?"

"Sure, but what's going-"

"I'll explain everything later. Just meet me there, please?"

___

Jeffrey dropped Riley off, deciding to make himself busy for a while so she could see her brother.

Avi was already there, sitting at a table with a drink for each of them. An iced macchiato for him, and an iced latte for her. He looked up as she came in, immediately standing and grabbing her into a hug when she was close enough.

"There you are, pumpkin."

Riley smiled a little, holding him tight and burying her face in his olive green shirt. When they pulled away, they sat down, Avi automatically pushing her drink towards her. "I got your favorite, I figured you'd need a bigger size than usual, though. I'd imagine you've been coffee deprived."

Riley laughed, nodding and sticking a green straw into the plastic cup. "Yeah, I haven't been out of the house much."

He nodded, sipping his own drink. "It's only been a week, but it feels like months since I've seen you."

"I know.." she said, taking the chance to peek around, thankful that people were paying them no mind.  _Hopefully that lasts for a while._ "How is dad?"

"He's been sick.. Got the flu a few days after you left, he's been in bed ever since. Mom had to take him to the doctors, she wasn't too keen on missing work."

Riley fought the urge to roll her eyes.  _If J was sick, I'd be more than happy to take care of him._

"Has he said anything about me?"

Avriel shrugged, chewing on his bottom lip. "He's asked if I heard anything, if you were okay.. mom was giving him a lot of medicine, he's been sleeping most of the day anymore."

It was silent, and it wasn't until Avi reached forward and nudged her hand, that it was broken. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

Riley swallowed, feeling the dread starting to creep on her again. Not that it really went away in the first place, though.

"H-Has mom told you anything? Something she found out, maybe.."

_You know he would have asked about it if she did._

"No, nothing. Why?"

"Oh.. Well.."

Avi raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain.

"I know why she was upset this morning."

He stayed silent, giving her the okay to continue on. "It has to do with me.. a-and Jeffrey."

"Jeffrey?" He asked, giving her a confused look before it dawned on him who she was talking about.  _".. Jeffrey?_ A friend of mine, Jeffrey?"

"Yeah, him."

"What are you talking about, Riley?"

"We've been seeing each other, Avi."

It was silent.

Riley watched him; nervous and afraid to even continue with explaining herself. He looked lost, staring at his cup as if it would give him answers to the hundreds or so questions just circulating in his head.

After about five minutes, she couldn't take it anymore. "Please say something, Avi.."

"I don't really know  _what_  to say, Riley."

"He's been good to me.. He's such a good guy, Avi. I've been staying with him, and that's why mom was angry today. She saw pictures of us together and she went through my stuff, found his number and called him late at night."

"Wait, wait, wait," he said, holding up a hand and effectively stopping her, "Are you telling me that he's your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, he is.. I love him, Avi."

When the silence became unbearable once again, he finally said, "I think it's best if we go take a drive."

**___**

The thing about Avriel was that there were times you couldn't read him. It was very rare to see him angry, so when he just sat there and drove, a calm expression on his face, it put her nerves into overdrive and she wasn't sure what to do with herself.

Riley was positive that had he been livid, he would have lashed out at her already. Her cup was in her lap, half empty and neglected since she hadn't taken a sip in almost ten minutes. Slightly twirling the straw somewhat eased the stress.

When he pulled over to the side of the road, much like what Jeffrey did months ago, she turned to see him rubbing his forehead.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say, Riley, but I do know what I want to."

She stayed quiet, watching his brown eyes observe her.

"He's too old for you, pumpkin."

Her heart sunk.

"Why should that even matter?" She asked, now avoiding his gaze and violently stabbing her straw into the cup. "It's not like he's forcing me to be with him. It was never forced."

Avi winced, though she was completely oblivious, due to circumstance. "I never said he forced you, but-"

"You're my brother, I thought you'd understand. I hoped you'd understand better than mom- better than dad will!"

"Riley, I'm not even finished yet!"

She pouted, shutting up and setting her cup in the empty holder.  _Jeez._

"You're my little sister," he began, his words coming out slow and testy- he didn't want to say the wrong thing. "And I love you, I do.. But, you're getting yourself into something major, bud."

"If you say you love him, I'm in no position to tell you you're wrong.. Remember Vanessa?"

Riley nodded, vaguely remembering his girlfriend of four years who was killed in a car accident two months after Avi had graduated college. He had plans on asking her to marry him, had even started making payments on a ring just months before the accident.

"When we first started dating, we'd always get shit because we loved each other. I loved her dearly, she was my everything. Nothing pissed me off more than when someone would tell us we were too young to be that serious."

"I always knew it was real," she whispered, wincing, "Even though I was what, twelve at the time?"

Avi couldn't help but smile. "Maybe so, but the point is, it would be hypocritical of me to tell you you're crazy, though I know you're not.. But he's a celebrity, Riley. People are not nice in the media; you're going to be hated on, people are going to bring you down. I don't want to see that happening to you."

"I don't care what those idiots say," she said, her tone becoming more assertive, even though she wasn't angry with him. "This might be cliche as hell, but I want to be with him, even if that means we have to go into hiding the rest of our lives."

"That's a little extreme.."

"You would have done the same for Vanessa.."

Avriel was silent, before he nodded, "You're right.. I just don't want to see you hurt, Ri."

"I'll be okay, Avi.. As long as I have you and Taylor, I'm fine. Jeffrey can take care of me, I don't need that kind of negativity in my life, and that's exactly what our parents will give me when they find out I'm not giving him up."

There was a moment of silence, like always.

"Whatever they say, our parents.. I'll always love you. I'm moving out, in a week. And if you ever need somewhere to go, you can always crash with me."

"We're nine years apart, but it looks like I'm moving out way before you did."

Avriel grinned, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. "You're my sister, it's a given. Even though you have a clean record, I think you're more of a delinquent than I ever was."

"I doubt that."

"Well I don't, pumpkin."

"Hm, well, I do."

___

It was dark.. Around ten, maybe.

Riley slipped off her towel, pushing her damp hair off her shoulders and taking a deep breath. Jeffrey was napping, having fallen asleep while she was in the shower, but that wasn't going to last long.

Riley crawled over him, pressing kisses from his neck up to his cheek, feeling him begin to stir underneath her. When he finally opened his eyes, she slid off of him, sitting next to him and fighting the urge to smile when his eyes widened at her bare chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse; sexy as hell.

"My brother still loves me but my mom hates me. I need comfort."

Jeffrey stared at her in disbelief, before chuckling.

"Jesus, sweetheart.."

Riley moved back to her position; leaning over him and starting to suck on the skin of his neck. Jeffrey always knew what spots drove her crazy, but her exploration of finding his was always delayed.. He was always too busy giving to her, compared to letting her return the favor.

"I think you need to rest, Riley.." he began, placing his big hands over her curvy, tanned hips and squeezing them tight. "You've had a hard day, I'd feel like I'm taking advantage."

"I'm making the move, not you," she mumbled, pulling away so she could talk to directly to his face. "So if anything, I'm the one using you for your body."

He laughed quietly, running his hand through her wet hair and cupping the back of her head. "You said that so sweetly."

"Well, I might hurt your feelings if I tell you that's the only reason I keep you around."

"Mhm hmm, you keep telling yourself that, baby."


	5. 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || if anyone can provide gif hunts for jeffrey it would be greatly appreciated.

**A WEEK FLEW BY, WITH NO CALLS OR TEXTS FROM HER PARENTS. A WEEK FLEW BY, AND JEFFREY NEEDED TO GET BACK TO GEORGIA.**

It was their first time out of the house with each other since the photos resurfaced. Jeffrey had made a small run to the store, buying a few things for dinner and brought out the take-out menus when neither felt like cooking. Now, though, Jeffrey wanted to get her out of the house, buy her a nice dinner, before telling her his surprise.

.. The thing about Riley that most intrigued him was the way she ate.

She wasn't picky, no. The only things she ever really disliked was fish that wasn't shrimp, and any traditional salad you'd find at a cook-out that wasn't made of greens and a copious amount of dressing. There were a few little things in between, but those were her least favorites. Currently, though, she was sitting across from him, scarfing down a pork chop. She seemed to pay no mind to manners, though she wasn't rude about stuffing her face- the girl loved to eat, and fuck, did it show.

Jeffrey had pushed his plate aside, leaning back in his chair and sighing deeply. It was quiet between the two all throughout dinner, but he could tell that she was itching to turn and give their observers the finger if they continued to give them knowing looks.

"You enjoying that, Riley?"

Riley paused, looking up at him through her mascaraed lashes, "Yeah, why?"

Jeffrey grinned, shaking his head. "Just wondered."

"Are you done?" she asked, stabbing her baked potato.

"Nah, I just needed to te- ask - tell you something."

Riley frowned, before an amused smile crossed her lips, "Are you asking me something, or telling me?"

"Telling, I have a few things to say."

Riley took a bite of her potato, keeping her eyes on him and patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I leave for Georgia tomorrow.."

She chewed quietly, wondering if you could pout and chew at the same time. "I know.."

"And, because of everything that has happened in the past week, I think it's best if you're not by yourself."

Like always, Riley thought of the worst possible scenario: being sent back home with her parents who haven't contacted her at all. No, Jeffrey wouldn't do that to you.

"B-but it seems like you've just gotten back. Why does it seem whenever I'm getting used to you being around you have to up and leave again?"

"I know, I know.. But-"

"This is so stupid, I know what I was getting myself into- sort of- but this is so-"

"-Riley-"

"-sucky, how long will you be gone this ti-"

"Riley!"

She stopped, blinking in confusion. "I was ranting, wasn't I.."

"A little, yeah.."

"I'm sorry, Jeffrey," she said, placing her fork down on her plate. "I just uh.."

"Don't even worry about it. As I was saying.." he said, watching as she bounced her fingers along the rim of her plate, her tongue flicking out to swipe across her bottom lip. He swallowed, transfixed, "I was going to ask if you would want to come down with me."

"S-seriously?"

Jeffrey, nodded, feeling his heart rate pick up and his barely there appetite diminish some more. "I'm not joking, baby."

"Like.. Come down, to Georgia, for.. weeks?"

"We'll jump here and there.. I get a few weekends for fan conventions, sometimes I get a day off during the week, but.. I want you there with me. You don't pay anything, you don't worry about nothing."

"I can't believe this." Riley said, covering her face. "

"Believe it, I'm asking you to be with me."

"You really want to drag me around with you?"

"I wouldn't call it that, sweetheart.. Come on, say yes?"

Riley bit her lip, her hand itching to reach across the table and grab his. "I have more questions.. Can we talk?"

Jeffrey was visibly disappointed that she didn't immediately say yes, but he knew that she just needed a little push. "Of course.. Finish up, we'll talk after."

Riley scooped her fork up, taking a bite of potato and pork chop at once, sticking it into her mouth. "Okay, I'm ready."

**___**

They found themselves walking along Broadway, one of Riley's favorite parts of the city. Like always, they were wearing their sunglasses, but she was prepared to have pictures taken and she had reassured Jeffrey that there's no reason to hide anymore.. All while still hiding behind the shades.

"I've never been in an airplane before."

Jeffrey looked shocked, "Seriously? Come on, don't lie."

She grinned, "I'm not! I have seriously never been on an airplane. My dad hates flying, my mom always tried but he insists on driving."

"And what if he had to go twenty states away for a meeting?"

"He likes trains."

Jeffrey shook his head, chuckling a little. "Okay, well, that's going to change very soon for you.. Just not this time."

Riley frowned, looking up at him, "What do you mean?"

"A good friend of mine drives down there. He's invited me, and you, if you accept. We'll be down there in less than a day."

"Who is it?"

Jeffrey shrugged, smiling down at her, "You'll see, if you accept."

"Come on!"

"Nope."

"JEFFREY!"

"Shhh," he said, laughing and throwing his arm around her shoulder. "It will be fun, I promise. You'll really like him."

Riley huffed as they turned on West 51st Street, landing right in front of the Gershwin Theatre. She looked up at the billboard, showing the sign for Wicked and immediately melting against his side. "Jeez, I love Broadway."

He smiled, looking up at the sign with her and gently squeezing her shoulder. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah.. Have you seen Wicked?"

"No, I haven't, actually.. I think musicals are cool and all, but-"

"Please don't tell me you're one of those people who think they're all stupid and pointless-"

"-No, sweetheart.. I just don't know if it will be something I could ever sit through."

"But you were in drama in school, isn't that the same thing?"

"It wasn't musical theater," he said, clearing his throat and watching as the line outside of the theater got longer and longer the more they stood there. "I can't sing worth shit, but I think you could."

"It's a dream of mine to be on Broadway," she said, tugging on his arm. If they stood there any longer she'd do crazy with excitement about being so close to a production of her most beloved musical. "I have the passion, but not the voice. I can't belt Defying Gravity like I need to."

"Defying what?"

"No more talking," Riley said. They were stopped by a red walk signal, and she took the opportunity to turn and look at the theater one last time. "I wonder if those kids who grew up here know how lucky they are to be in such a beautiful city."

Jeffrey looked down at her, seeing the complete admiration in her eyes as she took in the entire scene behind them. As a Seattle native, he wasn't a stranger to the big city life, but Riley always lived in a smaller town, and though she lived close enough to the Big Apple to visit every other week, he didn't understand how it felt for her to be a part of something so magnificently huge. 

"I'm not sure, babe.."

"We're so off topic right now." Riley said after a few minutes.

Jeffrey grinned, "Yeah, I know."

Once they continued walking, Riley looked up at him, sliding her arms through one of his, just like always. "How would this work? I mean, would I have to stay home all of the time, or could I come with you.."

"If you want to come to the fan conventions, you can come. You're with me, so you're able to hang out.. Free ride all the way."

"What about when you're actually working?.. Do those things count as work, too?"

"It depends on how you look at it.. I get paid to do it, but I don't think of it as a job. I'm meeting the people who helped me get to where I am, so.."

"Would you ever do it for free?"

"Absolutely."

"So, back to my other question.."

"If you want to come to work with me, you have to do a few things. A background check, non-disclosure agreement-"

"Holy shit.."

"Yeah, they take their shit seriously over there."

Riley chewed on her lip, "So.. If I sign everything they ask, this this and that, I'll be allowed.. On set? With everyone?"

"That's riight."

"But.. They'll know I'm with you, right?"

"They'll only know what you want them to know, sweetheart."

It wasn't until they returned to Jeffrey's car that she finally spoke, making his lips twitch into a smile, "They can know everything, I don't care."

"Is that a yes?"

"No.. It's a hell yes!"

___

".. Jeffrey.."

Jeffrey took a chance to peek at her, setting their suitcases on the ground below. He had a small house down there, so he only needed a few things, but Riley only had what she could fit in one suitcase, which wasn't a whole lot. "Yeah?"

".. Can you tell me who I'm looking at right now? So I know if I'm going crazy or not?"

Jeffrey grinned, closing the trunk of the the Uber. "If you think you're looking at him, you are."

Riley's cheeks turned red, and she turned until she was hiding from the smirking, dark-haired man standing beside a Jeep. Jeez, they all seem to like Jeeps around here.

"You know that Daryl is one of my favorite characters!" she hissed, a hand over her cheek and nervously laughing. "I can't believe this, Jeffrey.."

Jeffrey grinned, coming over to her after tipping the driver, grabbing her cheeks in his hands and tilting her head up, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Don't be shy, sweetheart. Come on, he's waiting to meet you."

Jeffrey slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling an anxious Riley into his side, putting them right across from his best buddy, Norman Reedus. Norman was a ruggedly handsome man, a type Riley thought she would never be attracted to, but hey, things change. He had a soft smile on his face, wearing a baseball hat that made his long, dark hair frame his face.

"Riley, this is Norman Reedus. Norman, this is Riley Taylor."

"N-nice to meet you," Riley said, anxiously reaching out her hand for him to shake. She was taken by surprise when Jeffrey dropped his arm, and Norman pulling her in for a tight hug.

"Nice to meet you too, hun. I've heard quite a bit about you." he said, wrapping his (too fit) arms around her. Riley melted, secretly always wondering how it would feel to hug him.. Sorry, Jeffrey.

Riley was starstruck; too speechless to reply and when they pulled away, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nervously saddled up beside Jeffrey.

He was smirking, already knowing what was going on but decided not to comment, instead reaching forward and pulling Norman into their own one armed hung. Riley watched quietly, hearing them talk and she kicked a pebble, watching it bounce along the concrete as they stood in the parking deck for a few more minutes.

Norman popped the trunk, letting Jeffrey slide in their bags, before closing it. Norman walked around, opening the passenger door and stepping to the side, gesturing for Riley to jump in. "Jeff offered to sit in the back."

"Yeah, at least I'll be left out if you two start arguing."

"Hey! I'm a very likable person," Norman said, shoving Jeffrey when he came to climb into the backseat. "She'll love me."

As Norman climbed into the driver's seat, Jeffrey reached forward and dropped a blanket into Riley's lap, making her jump. "Here, it's for the ride."

Riley smiled, unraveling the blanket and draping it along her body. She slipped off her flip flops, looking to Norman when he pulled away from his parking space. "Do you mind if I put my feet on your seat?"

"Nah, go right ahead. I've driven this thing covered in dirt and fake blood."

Riley grinned, bringing her feet up, curling against the door. It was barely seven in the morning, and the only reason why she was able to get out of bed was because Jeffrey wouldn't leave her alone: cuddling against her, biting her neck, whatever it took for her to get irritable and push him away.

Like she expected, it was so quiet, that not even the radio was on. The sun was just now rising, which was inconvenient for Riley since she was hellbent on catching up on sleep. Her thoughts faded, however, when she closed her eyes and never woke back up.. at least for a few hours.

**___**

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Riley was shaken awake, making her jolt and hit her head on the window.

"Shit! Sorry, hun."

It was Norman.

Riley rubbed her head, sitting up and letting the blanket fall onto her lap. Norman was sitting in the driver's seat, his fingers twitching as if he were hesitant to reach out and sooth her bump. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.." Riley said, chuckling a little. "Where are we?"

"We're at a gas station, Jeff is inside.. Bathroom break."

"Oh.." she began, before looking at the clock radio. It was 9:45. "Do we have like.. food?"

Norman chuckled, now tapping his fingers against his thighs. "There's a Starbucks about a mile away, Jeff said that you like it there."

"That sounds really good."

The backdoor opened, and Jeffrey hopped inside. Riley turned in her seat, getting a good look at him when he slipped off his sunglasses, tossing them in the empty seat beside him. It wasn't until she noticed a black carrier sitting at the window seat.

"Hey, what's that?"

"That's my asshole cat, Eye."

"Eye?"

"Eye.. Short for Eye in the Dark."

"That's an.. interesting name." Riley said, tilting her head in an attempt to peek inside. "Can I see him?"

"He's asleep, but here.." Jeffrey said, carefully picking up the carrier and lifting it up and allowing Riley to peek at the shiny, black fur of Norman's cat.

"My son named him," Norman explained, watching as Riley leaned in close, her nose almost touching the net. "It's a long story, but he's a special cat."

"He's so pretty.. I love it."

Jeffrey set the cat down, resulting in Norman starting the car. Riley adjusted herself in her seat, leaning her head back against the headrest. They pulled out of the parking lot, getting on the main road and taking off.

Riley could hear Jeffrey moving behind her, and jumped when his arm came from behind her, his hand latching onto her shoulder and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "You feel better, Riley?"

"Very much," she sighed, letting her head fall against his. "I'm hungry, step on the gas."

"Jesus, man. She's pushy." Norman said, increasing their speed just by a little. They were already pushing the speed limit. Jeffrey chuckled into her ear, before pulling back and unbuckling his seatbelt, moving to where he was sitting in the middle; now he could interact with the both of them.

"I know, just don't encourage her."

"You're such an ass." Riley said, bringing the blanket back up to her shoulders. "I was up early.."

Norman scoffed, the sound amused and before they knew it they were at Starbucks. Riley unbuckled her seatbelt, eager to jump out before realizing that her sunglasses were sitting on Jeffrey's kitchen counter.

"Oh my God, I don't have a disguise.."

Norman paused, half of Jeffery's ass hanging out of the car as he was in the mood for coffee, stat.

"Here, I have plenty of shades." Norman said, reaching above their heads to a small compartment, opening it to reveal a pair of black shades. "Keep them."

"I-I'll just borrow them for now.."

"Be quiet, they're yours now." Norman said, not leaving any room for argument since he had scrambled to get out of the vehicle. Riley slipped them on, opening the door and hopping out, bunching the blanket on her seat before shutting the door.

It was a normal crowd that you'd expect, and it was so nice inside that it had to be a recently updated model. Riley stood in the middle of them, looking up at the menu even though she knew what she wanted. Jeffrey had one hand in the pocket of his jeans, the other casually reaching over and sliding over her wrist.

"You guys get what you want, I'm buying." Norman said, taking a spot in line.

"Don't be ridiculous, man." Jeffrey said, his hand tightening on Riley's wrist, only enough to where she'd know it was there. "You're already giving us a free ride, let me buy."

As much as she wanted to, Riley stayed out of it, knowing she wouldn't be able to afford three drinks plus food at an expensive chain like Starbucks.. Though she wished she could, to at least feel like she was contributing something.

Finally, they decided to just each pay half when they got up to order. Norman went first, followed by Jeffrey, then Riley.

"What's your name, sweetie?" The man asked, her cup in hand and a black sharpie ready to go.

"Riley, thanks."

She wandered off, leaving the two grown man to pay while she awkwardly stood in the back, scratching her arm and patiently waiting for her drink.

"You okay, sweetheart?"

She looked up, seeing Jeffrey giving her a small smile. She returned it, taking a step closer and crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah, just wishing I could spoil you like you spoil me."

His face softened, licking his bottom lip and moving to throw his arm around her shoulder. "I have you, I think I'm already spoiled enough."

**___**

"You didn't get coffee?"

Riley looked up from her strawberry refresher, giving them an innocent look. "No.. Was I supposed to?"

Norman shook his head, making Jeffrey grin and look the other way. "No, it looks good. Wanna trade?"

"Hell no, this is mine."

"Come on, please?"

Riley giggled, shaking her head and making sure to take an extra long sip. Norman pouted, sipping his own coffee and watching the strawberries float around her venti sized cup. "Maybe next time."

A few tables over, a small group of people took photos of the trio. They were more interested in the two males, though one of the four had actually seen the article and photos circulating of Riley and Jeffrey in New York just a week ago.

"Someone should go over and say hi."

"They're celebrities, what am I supposed to say!?"

Riley ate one last bite of her muffin, just happening to glance up while Norm and Jeff quietly talked. She saw the table of phones pointed in their direction, and froze, swallowing the barely chewed bite of food. "We're being watched.." 

There was a moment of silence, and then both men turned to look. The kids froze, dropping their phones onto the table.

"Hey, guys!" Norman said, waving to them and making Riley throw her head back and laugh.

Turns out, the kids were extremely nice and the guys posed for photos. Riley slipped her drink, watching the crowd steadily get bigger until one of the girls approached her, shyly smiling, "Can I get a picture?"

Riley blinked, shocked and turned to Jeffrey for help, who only shrugged. "I-I guess.."

"Thanks! I love your hair, it's so gorgeous.." the girl said, droning on and on before finally turning the camera on them for a selfie.

When it was over, they went back to the car where Riley climbed in the front seat, her mind reeling with the fact that someone had.. asked for a picture.

___

"I'm pulling over, guys. Our hotel is a few minutes away."

Riley popped her head up, half asleep and confused. Jeffrey was still in the back, one earbud in and the other hanging down his shirt. "I thought we were driving all the way down?"

"Yeah.. I got tired. And Jeff back there can't find his way down there to save his life."

"Fuck you, man."

Like promised, they took the next exit and drove a few more minutes before pulling into a Holiday Inn. Norman explained that he liked the simple things, especially since they were only staying for a night.

"They don't take walk in reservations, do they?" Riley asked, taking her suitcase while Jeffrey set them down, Norman running in to check them in.. or beg for a room.

"Norman knows the manager, says he can get us in."

Riley grinned, shaking her head and pulling the handle to roll the bag inside. "Of course."

They met him inside, Norman giving each of them a key, before taking his bag from Jeffrey. "We're neighbors, guys. Please don't fuck too loud."

"Shh!!" Riley said, hiding her face when a few guests turned and gave a confused, alarmed look. She walked ahead, her face beat red and two grown ass, immature men following her, constantly snickering.

They were on the third floor, a few doors from the laundry room and Riley slid the key card again, purposely shutting the door in Jeffrey's face and laughing when he cursed loudly.

There were two beds; one that won't be used and the other for sleeping. She set her bag on the one closest to the sliding glass doors, kicking off her sandals just as Jeffrey opened the door, giving her a look of amused bewilderment. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Your friend is an immature dweeb."

He laughed, letting the door shut behind him and having his bag join hers. "But you like him, yeah?"

"Yeah, he's great."

"Good, I'm glad." Jeffrey said, sighing deeply and moving to take off his shirt. "I'm going to shower, then it's yours."

"Thanks for your permission, sir." Riley said, saluting his back before jumping on the bed they'd be occupying for the night. "Uh.. will Norman be barging in anytime soon?"

"Probably not, he seemed pretty tired. Don't hold your breath, though. I'm sure he'll find a way to weasel a key to our room."

"Oh God, don't even say that."

When he came out, she didn't feel like getting up. "All yours, sweetheart." He said, hanging his towel in the closet before neatly folding his clothes from today and putting them away.

"I don't feel like getting up, now."

He chuckled, patting down his unruly hair before taking the left side of the bed, his side. "I guess you'll have to be up early then, baby."

"What time are we leaving?"

"We're still about seven hours away," he said, reaching over and stroking her cheek with his knuckle, "All of that sightseeing we did and our dinner set us back. Norman and I have to be in Senoia at five."

"So.. before ten?"

"Maybe."

She sighed, leaning into his touch before getting up, going to the bathroom.

While she was in there, Jeffrey bobbed his foot, closing his eyes and relaxing. The sound of the door next door shutting made him grin, before a knock at his door sounded.

"Fuck off, man!"

It was silent, before a rustle was heard and the door was opened. In stepped Norman, hair wet and pajama clad with a shit eating grin.

"How in the hell-"

"I asked for an extra card when I checked in, go me."

"Jesus Christ, man."

Norman came in, sitting on the comfy looking arm chair in the corner, sighing. 

"Just say it, dude."

Norman shrugged, holding his hands up for a brief moment, "Say what?"

"Say what you want to say."

"Nothing, I just really like her. She's cute.. Better fit for you than the other girlfriend."

Jeffrey winced, not having thought of his ex in a long while. "Even the fact that I'm old enough to be her dad?"

"I've dated young a few times too," Norman defended, "If they're willing then they're willing.. At least, that's how I look at it. We don't go around sniffing for it, you know?"

Jeffrey nodded, looking off towards the bathroom door. "We've been going out a lot more.. We're being  _noticed_ a lot more. I'm afraid that she's going to realize eyes are on us wherever we go and she's going to run off. I don't want to lose her."

Norman looked sympathetic, but didn't comment. Instead, he let Jeffrey continue on, "Her mom is already in a tizzy, who knows how her dad feels. Her brother is on board but even he told her to be mindful of.. Me."

"No matter who you date, there's going to be the jealous and nosy people. You know that, Jeff."

"I know, but she's.. She's different. In more ways than one."

The sound of the water shutting off made them shuffle, Jeffrey reaching over to flip on the small flat screen and Norman pulling out his phone, making himself busy. Jeffrey knew she wouldn't be out right away, but hoped she wouldn't come out clad in lingerie.. Or naked.

He found a random movie, leaving it on with the volume on low and as Riley came out, dressed in a huge shirt and small shorts that were barely peeking out, he relaxed. Her hair was wet and brushed, framing her face and he smiled.

"Oh no, he's already following us?" Riley joked, watching as Norman smirked and sat up, putting his phone down. Jeffrey chuckled, watching as she placed her folded clothes into her bag and took her towel, going to the closet where she haphazardly tossed it over Jeffery's.

"Yeah, I'm the unofficial night watch around here. Just making sure everything is in order."

"More like perving around, but whatever." Jeffrey commented, shielding himself when Norman sprang up from the chair, aiming playful punches at his face and chest.

Riley giggled, sitting on the opposite bed and nestling up against the pillows. They went at it for a few minutes, and finally stopped when Norman rolled off the bed and smacked into the wall.

"They're going to kick us out, guys!" Riley said, popping her red face up from the pillows and catching her breath.

"They won't know it's us, trust me."

They eventually parted ways, after Norman brought over a case of beer and shared a few with Jeffrey. Riley stayed curled in their bed, a book in her lap while the two guys sat on the balcony, the only thing separating them being the flimsy screen door.

She was half-way through _The Fault in Our Stars_  when her phone beeped on the bedside table. She looked up, seeing the LED light flashing green, indicating that she had a Facebook message. 

_Taylor Masterson:_ **_Hey, how's it going?_ **

**_It's alright.. Why?_ **

_Taylor Masterson:_ _**Call me.** _

Riley peeked outside, seeing they were preoccupied and quietly bookmarked her page, standing up and going to the bathroom where she locked the door. 

"Are you alone?" was the first thing Taylor asked when she picked up.

"I'm in the bathroom, they're outside-"

 _"They're?_ Who else is with you?"

"N-.." Riley winced, unsure if it was okay to tell, even though Jeffrey trusted her almost as much as Riley did. "Um.. Norman Reedus?"

"Oooh, girl! You're surrounded by a bunch of man candy, damn I'm jealous."

"Be quiet, it was already awkward this morning when I practically turned into mush after hugging him."

"Hey, you never know what can happen. Maybe Jeffrey has some weird fantasy you don-"

"Okay, okay! That's enough!" Riley said, hiding her face in her hands while Taylor laughed on the other end. "I'm glad you're enjoying this, I really do."

"You know I'm just teasing you," she said, and Riley could see her rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know your mom payed us a visit today."

Riley's heart dropped, "She did?"

"Yeah, your dad came along, too.."

Riley was silent for a minute, chewing on her lip. She was afraid to ask.. "D-did he say anything?"

"No, he was really quiet the whole time.. Your mom was asking me fifty questions, about you and if I knew if you had a boyfriend- it really pissed my parents off, they asked her to leave."

"What did you say?"

"I said what every friend would say, that you've never mentioned anyone and as far as I know you're still single."

Riley sighed, smiling a little, "That's total bullshit, but I don't want you getting into trouble because of me."

"Hey, I'm already involved. I really wanted to tell her I knew, just because she was grilling me so hard it was pissing me off.. But I didn't, I didn't want to make this harder than you than what already is."

Outside, Norman and Jeffrey stood up, deciding to call it a night as it was getting late and they needed to be sure to get to Senoia on time tomorrow. They gathered up the empty beer bottles, bringing them in and disposing of them in the trash.. It was then that Jeffrey noticed the bed was empty and Riley could be heard in the bathroom, lightly talking.

"When the hell did she get up?" Norman asked, tossing the last bottle away before taking the last one in the carrier, putting it in the fridge for the next guest.

"I'm not sure.." Jeffrey said, shrugging and embracing Norman into a one armed hug.

"Night man, tell the queen I said goodnight."

He nodded, returning the gesture as Norman left, letting the door softly click shut behind him.

_"-Shit, I gotta go, Taylor-"_

Jeffrey cleared his throat, turning off the main light before going to the bed, pulling his side of the covers back and grabbing her book, looking at the cover before sitting down, flipping through the pages and seeing the name  _Augustus_ staring back at him.

The bathroom door opened, revealing a flushed Riley with a slightly panicked look in her eyes. Jeffrey frowned, staring at her while shutting the cover of the paperback. "What's that look for?"

"What look?" Riley asked, going over to the empty desk across the room, bending down to plug in her phone. Jeffrey let his eyes trail over her backside, smirking a little before looking up at the ceiling just as she turned around. She squinted her eyes at him, "Norman left for the night?"

"Yeah, just a few minutes ago, he said goodnight.. You look embarrassed, maybe a little angry."

_oh shit, oh shit, no way in hell am I telling him about that threesome crack._

"N-nothing, it was just Taylor.. My parents went to her house today."

He looked at her in surprise, watching as she resumed her spot on the bed, sitting with her legs crossed pretzel style. "Fuck, what happened?"

Riley told him what she knew, conveniently leaving out Taylor's inappropriate joke, knowing he'd either get angry or too amused and she couldn't handle either one.

Jeffrey didn't say too much, and it was alright. Riley was always one for coping alone, and right now, she was immune to what was happening and just wanted to focus on where she was at the moment. Her brother was living on his own, and she was with Jeffrey, her boyfriend who she loved so much.. Riley scooted over, curling into his side and laying her cheek above his breastbone. If worse came to worse, she'd go with her brother.

"You're such a tough kid, sweetheart."

Riley shook her head, snuggling into him as he reached over and flipped off the lamp, leaving the room semi dark, save for the faint nightlight in the bathroom. "I'm just used to the bullshit."

"No, you're just strong. Don't even try proving me wrong because I'm fucking right."

She laughed quietly, feeling him shake with silent laughter right before he pressed his lips to the top of her head. The events from earlier, at Starbucks, entered her thoughts again and she frowned, tilting her head up to look at him, "Someone actually asked for my picture today.."

"I know," he whispered, absentmindedly stroking her hair away from her face. "You didn't have to, you know.. You  _don't_ , if you're not comfortable."

"I don't know.. I just didn't want to be mean."

"No, they're usually very understanding.. It's your privacy, and as of right now, you're still the mystery girl. Your true identity is unknown and it will be until you decide otherwise.. Hopefully."

Riley always knew that there was a small chance of someone other than her family and Taylor recognizing her; those who knew her would easily pick her out, but only few would actually put it out there to the world.. Riley swallowed, leaning her cheek back on his chest and sighing. "It was strangely exciting.. I'm totally just saying this because it's true, but I can get used to it.. Especially if it's with you."

"Okay, that cuteness is becoming too much for me."

"Shut up, it's true!"

Jeffrey laughed, grabbing the cool sheets and bringing them up and over their bodies. Riley stayed curled into him, inhaling his body wash and just the natural scent of Jeffrey. Riley dreaded the next time she'd have to go to bed alone, and for all she knew, it could be tomorrow.

"Go to sleep, we have to make sure you get those papers signed tomorrow.. Hopefully that background check was approved."

"Yeah, stealing Deidra Boyd's crayons in third grade has affected my life greatly, it's been on my permanent record ever since."

"Shut the fuck up, smartass," Jeffrey said, attaching his lips to her forehead as the final kiss of the night. "I'd hate to see what would happen if you keep it up."

Riley giggled, eventually leaning up and kissing him, beating him at his own little game of trying to make the last move. "Mhm, you taste like beer.."

"That reminds me, I gotta do a few things." he said, wiggling out of her grasp and doing his best to ignore her pout. "Go to sleep, I'll be out in a few minutes."

As Jeffrey went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and such, Riley curled up, making sure to leave enough room for J to slide in comfortably. She already knew he'd pull her to him whether she was awake or not.. As she dozed off, quicker than normal, she thought of tomorrow and the kind of excitement it would bring.

And excitement, it was.


	6. 6.

**"HEY, WAKE UP."**

"Mhm?"

"It's time to get up."

"Nooooo, go back to sleep for a few more minutes."

 _Sigh,_ "Okay, five more minutes."

Riley felt him lay back down, his left arm draping over her and pulling until she was snugly pressed into his chest. It was still dark, and when Riley lifted her head, she found it was only  _5:30_.

_"Jeffrey, it's so early!"_

He lifted his head, observing the alarm clock before settling on her annoyed face. "I know, but you were talking in your sleep and it woke me up."

"I was not."

"Were too, I had to do something.."

Riley huffed, laying back down and getting comfortable. Jeffrey kept his arm around her, sighing when she finally settled back into place. He could use a few extra hours himself. "We're leaving right at ten."

"I love you, but you're talking to much right now.." she mumbled, already half asleep.

Jeffrey smiled, leaning forward and pressing a tender kiss to her head. "I love you, sweetheart."

___

"Good morning, kids!" Norman called, standing beside the car with his arms out and a huge grin on his face. ".. you okay, hun? You look kind of.."

Riley came to the backdoor, opening it and shoving her bag on the seat. "I'm fine, I'm perfect, thanks for asking."

Jeffrey hid his smirk, giving Norman a look over her shoulder as he walked around her, heading for the drivers seat. "Don't ask, man."

As they drove off, Riley curled up in the backseat, putting her earbuds in and blocking out the two having a conversation up front. She didn't get much sleep after Jeffrey had woken her up, and though she wasn't really pissed at him, it just made her very irritable.. After all,  _she_ was the one talking in her sleep.

One of the things she hated the most was that she always found it difficult to fall asleep in a car. Both of her parents, and Avi, could do it within minutes of trying, but she had always struggled, even as a kid. Yesterday was a relief, so she decided it wouldn't hurt to try and sleep again.

"Have you told her yet?"

"Told her what?"

Riley opened an eye, not realizing that she had dozed off and the two up front were talking about her. She closed it again, slyly taking her iPod and silencing the music.

"You know.." Norman went on, before saying,

_".. Her?"_

"Oh.. shit, I haven't."

"Come on, man. It's better than her finding out by someone else."

"I know, I know.. You have any advice?"

Norman scoffed, and Riley heard the clicking of the turn signal, "Hell no, I'm on good terms with most of my exes."

Riley's eyes snapped open, and she felt her heart drop in her chest.  _What, did he date someone from the cast?_

"You're working with an ex girlfriend?" Riley asked, taking out the last earbud and sitting up, making both men jump and Norman jerk the wheel. The action caused Eye to meow angrily, but she was unfazed.

"Shit! We didn't know you were awake-"

"Jeffrey?" Riley asked, unbuckling her seatbelt so she could lean ahead. She was too short to do it buckled in.

"It’s not that big of a deal, baby."

"Is it? Who is she?"

There was an awkward silence, with both guys giving each other a look. It was pissing her off. "Norman?"

"I-I uh-"

_"Jeffrey."_

"Her name is Serena, and she is on the makeup crew." Jeffrey finally answered, taking a chance to peek at her, only to find her pouting.

"And you guys dated?"

Silence.

Riley smacked Jeffrey on top of the head.

"Damn it, Riley!"

"Quit stalling and just  _answer_  me!.. Please?"

"We were uh.. Engaged?"

"... Engaged." Riley said, testing the word out slowly, "For how long?"

"Just a few months.. It's been a long while, though."

Norman shuffled in his seat, mighty uncomfortable but he was the one who brought it up, both having made sure she was asleep before talking.. Apparently they were both WRONG.

"Oh.. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't important; it's  _not_ important. We broke up for a reason, and that reason still stands today."

".. Is she prettier than me?"

Norman scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, you're beautiful."

"Yes, yes you are," Jeffrey said, reaching back and running a finger along whatever skin he could touch from the awkward angle. "Serena is nothing compared to you."

Riley chewed on her lip, feeling a sense of relief, but..

"She won't be a problem, I promise."

___

"And just sign here, and here, and here.."

Riley had scribbled down her name at least three times on ten sheets of paper. When they arrived to the set, security was tight and Riley was immediately rushed to a stand alone building where a few people were working, taking calls and organizing papers. Jeffrey promised he'd meet up with her as soon as he and Norman got settled in.

"And what am I signing again?" Riley asked, letting the older woman sitting in front of her flip the page, before pointing to two highlighted lines. Riley fought back the groan and kept scribbling down her signature. The more she did it, the sloppier the cursive writing got.

"Just an agreement saying you understand we have strict rules of secrecy and you are in no way exposing elements of the show without permission."

"I see.." Riley said, finally jotting down the last one, letting the woman take it away. "So, out of curiosity.."

The woman smiled, viewing over the papers to make sure everything was signed that needed to be. "I'm afraid to say that you'll be taken to court, and we're talking millions of dollars for a lawsuit. If you are asked for whatever reason about the show for a news platform, you will be notified about things you can and cannot talk about beforehand.. If it's a random fan on the street, we trust you to figure it out for yourself."

Riley nodded, fully understanding as she already told herself she was a person who could be trusted, and she wasn't going to fuck this up. "Thanks for that.. Is that all?"

"I just need to go over a few things with you," she said, pushing her glasses up her nose, before turning towards the ancient looking computer sitting on the other side of the desk. "First, please know that since you signed this agreement, you are allowed anywhere on set. We do ask, though, that you obey any verbal commands and listen to all of those who work here. For example, if they're filming a scene that is considered dangerous, they will mark off areas that are off limits. We do ask that you steer clear of those areas, mostly for your safety."

Riley nodded, "Yes, of course."

"Great! Second, the privacy of our cast members is a huge priority here. We do allow pictures on set, as you will see there is a lot of that going on, but we do not tolerate any photographing or filming of a scene without permission. You have read this in the non-disclosure agreement-"

"-Yes-"

"I thought so. But, I don't think you have to worry about that. You seem like a wonderful young lady, and the cast here is very, very close. I think you'll have no problem fitting right in."

Riley blushed, unable to help it and she looked away, as the woman was giving her a huge smile and it was all becoming too much. "Thanks.."

"I only see what I see.. Now, back to it. For the next few times you're here," she began, opening a drawer in her desk and pulling out a laminate and placing it on the tabletop. "We ask that you wear this. There is a whole lot of things going on at once, and many people are coming and going, and it's hard for security to keep track of everyone at once. If they, or anyone sees you wearing this, they'll know you're not a random person off the street who found her way in."

Riley nodded, taking the black sharpie that was handed to her and uncapped it, starting to write her name. "I'm sure Mr. Morgan will introduce you to the cast, and most of the crew, but wear it as a precaution. If you come to set the next few days without him or anyone else, make sure to bring this to the gate and security will let you in. We'll also put your name on the list, so if you happen to forget it, you just state your name and in you come."

"This is a lot to take in at once," Riley admitted, curving the 'y' to her name, before capping the marker. "But I'm glad someone is telling me this, I've been worried about doing something wrong.."

"Nonsense, you will do just fine. I know that it's a huge deal, a lot of excitement going on, but just be yourself. If it makes you feel any better, just wear it every single time you come. There's plenty of people who have been visiting or working the show for years and they still wear it."

Riley smiled, picking up the laminate and examining it.

"Lastly.. Welcome to Alexandria."

**___**

"Hey, girl!"

Riley smiled, "Hi."

"Where are you? Did you make it?"

"Yeah, we've been here about an hour.. I'm sitting in some office, I don't really want to go off alone."

"Where's Jeffrey?" Taylor asked, adjusting her phone. They were on Skype, which Riley didn't use often so it was always an adventure each time the picture went fuzzy and Riley didn't know what to do.

"He's.." Riley began, moving to peek out the window and seeing nothing but swarms of crew members. "I honestly have no freaking idea, but he needs to hurry up, I'm lonely."

"Excuse you?"

"Oh, you know what I mean," Riley said, turning her attention back to the camera. "Anyway, you'll never guess what I found out."

"I'm not even going to try, so just tell me."

"Okay.. Well, it turns out someone Jeffrey dated works on the show."

"Wait, what? Is she an actress?"

"No, apparently she's a makeup artist, but she's here and I just found out _today!"_

"Shit, what did you do?"

"What could I do? I can't really get mad, it's not like we were together when he was with her.. Oh yeah, they were engaged."

_"WHAT!?"_

_"Shh!! Taylor!"_

"SHIT, I'm sorry!" Taylor said, genuinely shocked, "I just.. Oh my  _God_ , and he didn't tell you!?"

"No.. Should I be mad?"

"I don't know, I mean it's kind of a big deal. He obviously wanted to marry her, and now they're reunited again, so I'd want to know why they broke it off if he was  _my_  boyfriend."

Riley chewed on her lip, adjusting her glasses, sighing deeply. "I think that I just wanted to avoid all of that.."

"I know, because that's how you are.. Don't give me that look, it's true."

"He told me not to worry about her, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.. I haven't even seen her, and I might not, but I trust Jeffrey, I do.."

"I know, and I'm not saying you shouldn't, but.. I think you should know the gist of the situation, so you can understand why they're not together and if he still has any feelings for her."

"Okay.. I'll uh, I'll ask him tonight."

The front door swung open, and in came Jeffrey, looking around before his eyes fell on her curled up by the window, skyping her best friend.

"Hey, here's here!" Riley said, turning the camera around, getting him in view. "Say hi, Jeffrey.."

"Oh, no," Jeffrey said, avoiding the camera and attempting to snatch the phone from her, "I'm not ready to be on camera."

_"YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE IT'S SICKENING!"_

"Yeah, very funny, Taylor," Riley said, scrambling to her feet, "I guess it's time for me to go?"

"Of course.. Have fun, kid. I miss you."

"I miss you too," Riley pouted, unable to keep from laughing when Jeffrey's face appeared in the background, leaning towards her and pressing a kiss to her cheek before moving away. "Ahh, okay, Mr. Slick."

When they ended the chat, Jeffrey smiled, leaning against the wall and patiently waiting. "Everything go okay?"

Riley nodded, pocketing her phone. "Yeah, it went great.."

"Good.. Come on, I want to show you off."

She grinned, walking towards him as he opened the door, gesturing for her to walk ahead. The laminate swung from her neck, before being partially hidden by her denim jacket. It was an extremely nice day; the sun was shining and there was a nice breeze, but it was comfortably cool. Riley had never been to Georgia, but based on the weather reports for the next few days, it was going to be  _hot._

Jeffrey joined her, taking her hand easily, despite the height difference, and began towing her across the asphalt road. Riley was just starting the sixth season, watching it from Amazon and seeing the actual set of Alexandria right in front of her was amazing. There were multiple trailers, and tents, and cameras everywhere that it was unbelievable. Jeffrey explained that filming didn't start again for another two days, but there were plenty of things to be taken care of before.

"Is.. Everyone here?" Riley asked, leaning her head on his arm for a brief moment. "I don't know how I handled meeting Norman yesterday.."

"Sheesh, you did fine. I get starstruck too, trust me. It's universal."

"Still, I can have the most embarrassing reactions.."

Their moment was interrupted when a ball of paper flew at them, hitting Jeffrey square in the forehead. Riley jumped, pulling away from him and trying her hardest not to laugh. Another paper ball whizzed through the air, this time narrowly missing Riley and hitting the ground a few inches away from them.

"Listen here, asshole!" Jeffrey called, his deep voice going straight to Riley's loins. "I'm going to kick your ass!"

Norman appeared behind a bush, this time wielding a water gun, pointing it at Jeffrey who seemed unfazed. "FIRE!"

As it turns out, Norman wasn't the only one packing heat and taking sanctuary behind a bush.

Multiple streams of water came from each side, completely soaking the two, though most of it was aimed at Jeffrey. Riley squealed, too excited and shocked to actually move out of the line of fire. Jeffrey seemed to have forgotten she was there, as he was too busy cowering into himself while laughing his ass off.

When they stopped, laughter was heard all around them, before the people responsible made themselves known, laughing hysterically. "WELCOME BACK, ASSHOLE!"

Riley took off her glasses, wiping at the frames before a towel was handed to her, which she gladly took, "Thanks."

"No problem," a voice said, accommodated by a British accent. "I hope that wasn't too harsh for you."

Riley shook her head, laughing a little before slipping on her frames, only to realize she was face to face with Andrew Lincoln. Her eyes widened, and the towel in her hand grew limp as she seemed to go into another dimension. "Uh.. N-no, it was actually.."

"Aww, it's so nice to meet you!" a female voice exclaimed, before a pair of arms were thrown around her, squeezing her tight. "It's about time we I've seen a new face.." the woman went on, and Riley realized it was Lauren. They all seemed to come at her at once, greeting her warmly and all she could do was stupidly nod and hope any words that came out weren't gibberish.

Jeffrey laughed, looking down at his soaking wet clothes as he dropped the towel from around his head, wanting to go to his trailer and change. Norman had said some smart-ass remark, before helping a few people pick up all of the water guns. He looked over at his friends and coworkers introducing themselves to a very flustered Riley, making him chuckle and head in their direction.

"You're so beautiful, oh my gosh!" Danai said, being the last person to welcome her. Jeffrey approached, patting his friend on the shoulder before taking his partially damp towel and wrapping it around Riley's shoulders.

"You okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.." Riley said, seeming to have gathered herself, though Jeffrey expected it was only because she was talking to him. He smiled, though, when she turned to all of the others anxiously watching them and said, "It's so nice meeting you all.. I'm sorry, I'm just so.."

"Hey, it's cool. I know we're pretty awesome, it's inevitable." Chandler said, grinning an arrogant smile and causing everyone to chuckle.

"Yes, and they're all a bunch of dicks, too." Jeffrey said, grinning at them before giving them the finger. There was a roar of laughter, mixed in with a few retorts and Riley smiled a little, allowing Jeffrey to turn around and steer her towards the trailers. Riley peeked behind them, seeing everyone smiling and waving as they grew smaller and smaller.

"Wow, they must have really missed you.."

"Nah, that was their official way of welcoming you to the family."

Riley chewed on her lip, taking a last chance to look back at the group that had now dispersed. Jeffrey began to whistle, a low, haunting sound and Riley looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"It's time to start getting into character, sweetheart.. Acting exercise number one."

"Oh no, should I be worried?"

Jeffrey shrugged, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I don't believe so, no."

"Good.. You're really tall, and I'm assuming you can be extremely scary looking if you tried."

He chuckled, leading her up the few steps to his trailer, before opening the door and ushering her inside.

The space was a comfortably decent size, probably something one might imagine. There was a small sectional couch, a flat screen tv, and a bathroom. Jeffrey showed her a few drawers that were freshly stocked with snacks just today, and told her to help herself whenever.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Riley asked, plopping down on the couch and leaning her head back against the rest once they changed into dry clothes.

"Well, I'm needed an about an hour.." Jeffrey said, looking at the golden watch on his arm. "We have a few things to go over before we head home for the night."

Riley smiled a little, scooting over and patting the couch cushion next to her. "Okay, sit with me."

Jeffrey obliged, squeezing his fuller figure on the space beside her, making her squeal when his arm draped around her and pulled her to him, laying back. Riley's head propped on his chest, the scent of her hair assaulting his nose in the most wonderful way. "Mhm, this is some good shit right here."

Riley giggled, "Shut up."

"I'm serious.. You smell delicious." He said, sniffing her hair and keeping her tight against his torso.

When they settled down, Jeffrey leaned forward slightly, grabbing a remote from the table and pressing a button. The action caused the shades to close over the windows, making the room dark and Riley sighed in content.

"Is this thing rigged in every aspect? Like, if you press another button a robotic waiter is going to come out and give us ridiculously expensive water?"

Jeffrey laughed, "No, smart-ass.. But hey, that's a pretty good fucking idea."

"I know, so get on that right now."

"I will, no problem." Jeffrey said, his hand coming up to stroke her hair back. "Take a nap, it was a long drive."

Riley snuggled into him, sighing gently before the gentle, rumbling sound of Jeffrey humming lulled her to sleep.

**___**

When Riley woke up, she was alone.

There was a soft, red blanket covering her body and she was nice and warm. Her glasses were taken off and neatly placed on the small coffee table in front of her. She curled further into herself, closing her eyes in an attempt to sleep some more.

She laid there, staying between awake and lost to the world. Riley could hear everything going on around her, so when she heard the sound of voices hovering outside the door, she kept her eyes shut and didn't move an inch.

"She was asleep when I left," she heard Jeffrey say, and his voice made her heart stutter. "Be quiet in case she still is."

Accompanying him was Norman, and another man she wasn't familiar with who seemed to have a pretty attractive voice himself. Riley fought the urge to open her eyes, just wanting to relax.. And see what three men talked about when they thought they weren't being watched.

"What's her name, Riley?" The man asked, his voice genuinely curious and Jeffrey confirmed it, "Okay, good. I would have felt like an asshole if I called her Susan instead."

The urge to laugh was too much. Riley shifted, her face falling further into the blanket and she did her absolute best to stifle her laughter and keep her shoulders from shaking.

Riley managed to get away with it, or so she thought, as Jeffrey already knew she was awake. He decided not to call her out, instead giving the other two a bottle of beer before going to the couch, fixing the blanket and lovingly stroking back her hair. He smirked when she twitched.

"You bringing her to the party tomorrow?" Steven asked, watching as Jeffrey affectionately touched her.

"I want to, but I still have to ask.. She has a little bit of anxiety when it comes to those things."

"Ahh shit, that's a bummer." Norman said, looking up from his phone. He snapped a picture, getting a good shot. "I'm going to send this into the media outlets,  _"'The Big Bad Negan Isn't So Bad After All!'"_

"Fuck you, man."

Norman kept the picture, pocketing his phone before Steven joined him in making teasing noises. Riley scrunched her nose, feeling J's hand leave her before the sound of someone getting smacked made her open her eyes and sit up.

It was a full on, friendly brawl, and none of the three guys seemed to notice she had moved. Riley patiently sat there, watching them be little kids before the mystery man finally turned around, seeing her. "Oh shit, she's awake!"

Norman and Jeffrey stopped, immediately pulling away from the other and looking at her. "Hey, sleepy head." Norman said.

"Mhm, hi, dingleberry's."

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Steven, Steven Ogg." The man said, sporting a receding hairline and a pretty.. interesting mustache. "You're Riley, right?"

Riley nodded, smiling and shaking his outstretched hand. "Yeah, that's me.. It's nice to meet you, too."

"You're a cutie, little Jeff over there's a lucky guy."

"Hey, hey, hey, no flirting," Jeffrey said, pushing a grinning Steven back, making Riley laugh loudly. Norman watched, amused and taking a decent chug from his drink. "Get your own."

Jeffrey went into the other room, getting her a water before sitting next to her, letting her rest her head on his lap.

_"Oooh, Jeffrey is jealous."_

_"Jeffrey is a little jelly belly."_

"You guys are so stupid." Riley said, smiling a little before moving to where she was on her back instead of her side. "I thought Jeffrey was a little kid, but I think you two are toddlers."

"We may be a bunch of old men," Steven said, smiling, "But we're fucking young as hell by heart- Excuse my French."

"Don't even worry, dude, Jeffrey has a freaking sailor mouth too." Riley said, grinning when Norman shot up, pouring an accusing finger at Jeffrey, "See, I freaking told you, ya jerk."

"Oh, oh shit!" Steven said, "I can feel the tension from over here.."

"You guys are assholes," Jeffrey said, before giving Riley a playful glare, "That includes you too,  _sweetheart."_

"Oh please, you already know I'm sort of the devil in disguise."

"I highly fucking doubt that, little Jeff calls you sweetheart, that's like the least intimidating pet name out there."

"I'm sure he calls me other names in his head, maybe ones that aren't so sweet and innocent."

"Oh yeah, and I'm sure your daddy meter is off the charts with him."

"OH MY GOD, STEVEN." Riley said, making all three men roar with laughter. Her face was so red that she thought it might be possible for her to run a fever. "That is so.." She trailed off, cupping her cheeks in her hands.

"True?" Norman teased, finding complete and utter joy in doing this, much like Steven.

"I hate all of you." Riley said, moving to curl up and hide her face in Jeffrey's arm, "I hate all of you so much."

"Nah, we'll grow on you eventually." she heard Steven say, right before there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Jeffrey called. The door opened and a man with long, graying hair popped his head in, smiling at them all. "Hey guys, family meeting in ten.. And who do we have here?"

Riley froze, looking up at Jeffrey with an alarmed expression before the mystery man stepped in, offering out his hand. Jeffrey introduced them, and Riley learned that she was shaking hands with Greg Nicotero.

"Nice to meet you.." she said, dropping his hand.

"We have to attend  _another_  meeting?" Norman asked, looking irritated as hell, which Riley found odd, considering he was all for work.

"It won't be that long, but it's very important." Greg said, before looking down at Riley, "You're more than welcome to tag along."

Jeffrey smiled, looking down at her while she shook her head, her eyes wide, "No, it's okay, I'll just stay here.."

"That's cool too."

___

They pulled up to two small, yet amazing houses at around seven-thirty. 

Norman put the car in park, before shutting it off. "I'm your new neighbor for the next few months, I hope that's okay."

"Oh  _God."_ Riley joked, making Jeffrey snicker from the backseat. "That's just dandy."

They moved out of the car; Norman unloading the trunk while Jeffrey grabbed Eye's carrier, leaving Riley to go around the car and grab her suitcase.

"You guys coming to dinner with all of us? We have the restaurant all to ourselves."

Riley frowned, turning away and taking in their surroundings. The houses were a few yards away; each with a similar exterior with dark colors. They were big enough for a few people to live comfortably for a while, but had there been a house party, it would have to be outside, or being in close proximity for too long would more than likely drive everyone crazy.

"Which one is ours?" Riley asked, turning to look at both men who were having a hushed conversation. She raised her eyebrow, seeing them share a look before Jeffrey pointed to the house farthest to the left. "Right there."

They took their luggage to the house, Norman calling out that he'd see them in a little bit to go and eat. Jeffrey let her in the house, confirming to Norman of their plans.

Riley stood in the foyer, looking around and it wasn't much different than his real house back home. She loved that he seemed to adore dark accents, ones that her parents refused to put into their house whenever they did renovations. It gave her the feeling of being comfortable in her surroundings, which was understandable since she had a bit of an isolated personality.

"I love how you and Norman just found two houses next to each other." She commented, turning around to see Jeffrey setting his stuff by the stairs.

He grinned, showing his dimples and the action made her melt. "I had this built a while ago, back when I first got the part. I roomed with him until it was completed."

"What about when you're done with the show?"

Jeffrey shrugged, before the sound of soft footsteps from above could be heard. There was a bark, and Bisou came tumbling down the steps. Riley squealed, bending down to see her. "How did you get here!?"

Riley fawned over her, rubbing her fur and allowing her to lick the back of her hand. Jeffrey started moving their stuff upstairs, smiling when Riley began talking to his dog in that sweet baby voice of hers.

Truth of the matter is, when his time is up on the show, he planned on keeping the house. Norman agreed with him when he said that Georgia was a lovely place that he never wanted to abandon.

Soon enough, both Riley and Bisou joined him upstairs. He was unpacking what little stuff he had, while Riley chewed on her lip while looking through her things. "I definitely need to go shopping."

"I'm sure the girls would love to take you. It can help them get to know you better, you're part of the family now."

"Won't they be extremely busy?"

"They'll make time, I promise you that."

Jeffrey promised he'd give her a tour tomorrow. Riley grabbed her makeup bag, having already taken out her bun; her long hair flowing beautifully down her back. Jeffrey put on some music, causing her to softly sing in his bathroom while she put on some foundation.

Riley was surprised to find out that Norman had opened a restaurant with quite a few people, though he shared the business mostly with Greg. He had her look on the menu online, but told her that they're making a little bit of everything, so she can try it all.

_"We wanted to thank the community, putting up with all of our shit the past few years." Norman said, watching her scroll through the menu on his iPhone. "I like you, so you have to tell me your honest opinion when you chow down."_

She put on the dressiest outfit she could muster, wanting to make a better second impression. Riley was understandably dressed like a bum today, which didn't matter since they ended up soaking her with water guns.

"Babe, are you about.."

Riley capped her lipstick, turning to look just as Jeffrey paused in the doorway. His eyes admired her face, before observing her simple, cute outfit. ".. what?"

"You sure.. Know how to do all of that.." he said, waving his hands over his face, hinting at her dark eyes and deep red lipstick.

"YouTube is a very wonderful thing," she said, putting it into her little bag before zipping it up. "Is it too much?"

"No, you look great." He said, smiling and moving out of the way as she walked back into the bedroom. "But we need to get going, Norman is waiting for us."

They went down the steps, trailed closely by Bisou. Through the front door, that was all glass, she could see Norman sitting on the top step, playing on his phone. Bisou whined, standing at the door where she excitedly wiped her nose along the glass. Riley scrunched her nose.

"Bisou.." Jeffrey groaned, looking at the smear of saliva on the glass.

Riley slipped on her sandals, hoping they looked okay with the outfit, since they were gray. Jeffrey went outside, holding the door open and Bisou jumped out, automatically getting attention from Norman.

**___**

There was a busty, leggy, strawberry blonde bombshell waiting when they arrived.

And by the look on Jeffrey face, it was Serena.

"Who invited her?" Riley heard him hiss, and he was met with a few mumbles from the crew who had been waiting for their arrival.

"Hi, everyone!" She called, waving excitedly at everyone as they came in. Her voice was peppy, so peppy, it made Riley want to gag. Her hair was long, but not as long as Riley's. She was slim, with wide hips, and when she stood up from the stool, Riley realized she had a big butt. Everything about her screamed perfect, and Riley never felt as small as she did in that moment.

The group greeted her, while Riley awkwardly stood off to the side, wondering if she was even noticeable to.. Serena.

"Jeffrey, it's so nice to see you again!" she cried, coming over and throwing her arms around him. The tension coming from him was unmistakable to Riley, but he awkwardly patted her shoulder before pulling away. Norman came over, nudging Riley in the shoulder before handing her a drink. Riley looked at it, about to comment before he said, "It's non-alcoholic, trust me."

Riley nodded, taking a sip. Coconut and pineapple.

"How have you been?" she heard, before the  _zip_ of Jeffrey touching her arm made her smile.

"I'm doing good, how about you?" he asked, moving to throw his arm around Riley's shoulder, pulling her into his side. The action caused Serena to pause, her eyes finding Riley's, but nothing threatening was there.

"I'm great! Still single," she said, though her voice was more careful than before. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm glad you asked," said Jeffrey, before smiling down at his girl. "Serena, this is my girlfriend, Riley Taylor. Riley, this is Serena Thompson.. An  _ex girlfriend_  of mine."

Riley decided to be the better person, sticking her hand out with a small, nervous smile, "It's nice to meet you."

Serena returned the handshake, but everything about her body language was off. Riley went to school with girls like her; she gave off the impression of being harmless, but inside, she was fuming. Maybe her anger wasn't directed all at Riley, but Jeffrey too.

"Wow! She's such a  _cutie.._  Aren't you a little young for him?"

Riley's eyes widened, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Unable to stop it, she stepped away from him, feeling his arm drop to her side and the look on his face made her want to curl up into a ball and die. "I need to use the bathroom." she said, handing Jeffrey her drink before heading towards the bathrooms. 

Riley wasn't alone when she arrived. Christian stood at the sink, applying some makeup and at the sight of Riley she smiled, turning around, "Hey, you came!"

"Yeah.. here I am," she said, her voice shaky and not at all like normal. Christian frowned, and she knew something was off, not even knowing the kid that well.

"Are you okay? You look a little green."

"Yeah, I'm fine.. I just.."

Riley sunk down to the floor, feeling herself begin to hyperventilate. Christian dropped her stuff, rushing over and kneeling beside the poor girl, touching her forehead. "Oh my God, what's going on?"

"I can't deal with ex-girlfriends, especially not ones like her."

Christian didn't bother playing dumb; she knew exactly what was going on. "I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about, Riley.. You can trust him, and you should trust that she'd be the better woman and back off. She's thirty, for heaven's sake."

"How old are you?"

She chuckled, moving to where she was now sitting beside Riley, leaning back against the wall too. "I'll be twenty-six in September."

Riley nodded. Christian was absolutely stunning, which was funny, considering Riley grew up watching her on Nickelodeon, and she had a weird thing at the time that if someone was pretty, she automatically liked them.. Though it was mostly for the nice girls, the mean ones always steered her away.

"I'm not used to people commenting on the age difference," she explained, thankful that Christian seemed truly interested in helping out. "A lot of people still don't know, and I knew that it wasn't always going to be easy, but when it actually happens.."

"I grew up in the spotlight," the older girl said, offering Riley a small smile, "Maybe not my whole life, but all of my teenage years. I was really big in all of those cheesy teen magazines, and my whole life was always plastered everywhere, whether I liked it or not. Everyone will tell you the same thing, but I want you to understand, there's going to be a lot of petty girls trying to bring you down. And it's everyone, boys are that way too, but not as bad. You can't let those things bother you, that's how relationships get messed up."

Riley listened, letting her words sink in. "I'm not trying to preach to you, because I'm sure you've been told this all your life, just like I have, but you have to believe that.. Norman has struggled a lot in dating, too. Not only is he extremely busy all of the time, but his fans can be really mean if they find out he's dating," she paused, before pulling out her phone, tapping the screen a few times before handing it to Riley, "Here, put your number in."

Riley hesitated, her eyes wide. She was about to put another celebrity's name into her phone. Jeffrey was first, obviously, but Norman had snuck her's from Jeffrey's phone and she woke up this morning (for real) to an emoji of a balloon. Jeffrey confirmed it was him.

Riley handed the phone back over, and in a few seconds she felt it vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. She pulled it out, revealing a simple, _'hi'._

"You seem to be very sweet, and I want to be friends.. Look, you know Jeffrey more than I do, but I do want you to know that if you need anything, call me. Text me, even. I can do both. If you can't get a hold of me, Norman is perfect for advice."

Riley nodded, before embracing Christian in a hug. "Thank you, Christian."

"No problem," she said, giving her a tight squeeze in return. "Come on, let's go join the others."

**___**

"Attention, attention!"

"I just wanted to say.." Josh McDermitt began, holding up an empty glass of champagne, completely drunk off his ass. "You guys.. are _great._ "

There was a round of chuckles, and a few smart assed comments that made Riley smile. The crowd had grown in size, add about twenty more people than before, all of them being crew members. The servers and chefs on duty were asked to join, standing around the perimeter, holding a glass of alcohol as well. Riley looked at all of them, ignoring Serena who was laughing too loudly at someone's jokes.

"I'm not fucking kidding, you guys are all the fucking shit, like, seriously."

"Okay, okay," Danai said, coming over and moving him out of the way. He stumbled, falling into a stool where he sat down and laughed loudly, holding his still empty glass up. Riley giggled. "That's enough."

She smiled at everyone, raising her glass. A few people returned the gesture, including Jeffrey, who bumped his with Norman's before gulping it down.

"You two stop it, we're going to toast!" she scolded, giving them an evil eye. Riley snickered, watching Jeffrey give her a playful glare while his glass was refilled.

"I just wanted to say how glad I am to be back, to see you all again," Danai said, smiling at everyone, and Riley could sense the complete honesty and admiration in her tone. "I know we all had a little break for a few weeks, but it seems like I just saw all of you yesterday.. I love how we're all a family, and I look forward to spending the next few weeks having my ass annoyed by every single one of you."

There was a small round of applause, before Norman stood up, going over to the front of the bar and smirking at everyone. Riley heard Jeffrey mumble, _"Uh oh.."_

"I'm not really good with words," Norman said, nodding, "But I'm going to try my best.. Most of you guys are assholes, but I love ya!"

"As most of you know, I drive down here from New York. I pack up my Jeep, my cat, and drive the fourteen some hours it takes to get here, sometimes driving all day and night. This time, I had the pleasure of riding with one of my best friends, Jeff."

There was a chorus of  _aww's_ , embarrassing Jeffrey and Riley giggled, patting his hand that was sitting on the table. His shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. "I honestly don't know how I did it, he can be a real doofus at times, but it happens to the best of us.. I also got the honor of meeting his girlfriend, Riley."

Riley paled, and suddenly, Jeffrey's embarrassment wasn't so funny anymore.. Now it was  _her_  turn to be embarrassed.

"We get so many new people around here all of the time. Whether it's only for an episode or twenty, it's hard to keep track of everything and everyone. I had the pleasure of getting to know her, and I honestly hope that she will be with us for a long, long while."

Everyone turned to look, making her already red face flush a deeper shade. Everyone clapped, enjoying how she was reacting to all of the attention.

"I see her as family now. I hope all of you accept and get to know her.. I'll feel bad for you if you don't."

Norman proposed a toast, and of course, everyone obliged.

"To family!"

_"To family!"_

Everyone clinked glasses, before the crowd dispersed. Norman came over, looking anxious as he took his seat back.

"That was sweet of you, dude." Jeffrey said, giving Norman a fist bump.

"She's a sweetheart, I had to."

"Thanks, Norman."

"No problem, hun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || should she be weary of Serena? let me know what you think!


	7. 7.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SONG FOR THIS CHAPTER: THAT'LL SHOW HIM, PERFORMED BY KIRSTIE MALDONADO
> 
> LINK: https://youtu.be/9FiqONzKKJI

**"ACCORDING TO THIS BUZZFEED QUIZ, YOU AND I ARE LIKE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST."**

Jeffrey chuckled, hanging up a plaid shirt before pausing, turning to look at her lounging on the bed. "Wait, what?"

"You and I are like Beauty and the Beast! Which, by the way, Belle is my favorite Disney princess."

"You should elaborate a little bit.."

_"Things haven't been easy for you two, but you've been able to overcome all obstacles that life has thrown your way for one simple reason: you love each other more than anything in the world.."_

"Wow, that's amazingly accurate."

Riley gushed, clicking off her phone and watching him continue to put away the rest of his things. Bisou was silent, laying on the floor with a red ball perched next to her paw. Jeffrey's room had a sliding glass door that led to a balcony, which was open and letting in a nice breeze with the curtains gently whipping in the wind. "I know."

"How are you liking it here so far?" he asked, finally closing the closet door. "Is it warm enough for you?"

"It's really great," she said honestly, laying back with her arms stretched above her head, wiggling her toes. "Everyone seems so nice, and I'm really excited to see what your life is really like."

Jeffrey smiled, zipping up his now empty suitcase and picking it up, putting it by the bedroom door. He'd put it down in storage before leaving in the morning. "Does this mean you're going to come in with me tomorrow?"

"Depends, what time are you going?"

"No later than seven."

Riley cringed, watching as her hesitation made him grin. "Ehh, that's really early.. Shouldn't you be in bed? It's almost two."

He plopped down beside her; shirt riding up his torso and making her mouth water. Riley grinned, hiding her face in the pillow and hoping he didn't notice. "I'm an old man, I'm supposed to be up that early anyway."

"Shut up, you're not old!"

He threw his arm around her, pulling Riley in tight to his chest. "I'm glad that at least one of us thinks so."

Back in Madison, Cristina and Todd sat in their bed, unable to sleep, much like every night the past two weeks.

"Maybe you should try calling her again," Todd had said after a while, giving his wife a hopeful, longing glance. "That's our little girl."

Cristina shook her head, staring off into space of their dimly lit room. "She's made her decision. I don't want her thinking she has our support."

"I never said she didn't have mine."

Cristina sat up, glaring daggers at her husband who only stared at her in return. "You cannot sit here and tell me you approve of our eighteen year old daughter dating that man!"

"Riley is our daughter, Cristina! Our daughter. I haven't been able to get a hold of her; she's ignoring both of our calls because she's afraid. I love her as much as you do, but Riley is the smartest girl I know. I don't believe this is a 'selfish, schoolgirl crush' as you have so lovingly put it.."

"That has absolutely nothing to do with it. She's just a kid, Todd. I should have called the police when I had the chance. Who knows what he's done to get her to be with him!"

"If something like that was going on, she would have told us."

Cristina got out of bed, angrily shaking her head and tossing her blankets back in their spot. "I can't believe that you're defending him, Todd."

He threw his hands up, suddenly angrier than before. "All I'm saying is that you didn't give him a chance! Remember when we met him on Thanksgiving? I do. There was nothing off about him. He wasn't breathing down her neck, let alone giving off a bad vibe. I would have known if something was going on there-"

"Clearly you can't, because she's with him right now. Probably sleeping in his bed as we speak."

As she went downstairs to make some tea, his response back to her only made her feel even more melancholy. "Riley is doing just fine without us! Remember that in the morning when you want her to come home!"

___

When she woke up the next morning, she was alone.

Riley sat up, her hair framing her face and she realized she forgot to take off the rest of her foundation. She scrunched her nose, feeling the tightness of her now dry skin.

There wasn't a note, so she decided to get up and utilize his shower for the first time. When she got in it was wet, showing that he had the same idea when he woke up.

The only downside to Jeffrey's house was there wasn't built in speakers. What she wouldn't do to blare some tunes to wake herself up some more. Riley had to improvise, singing Acapella and surprisingly not falling on her ass while dancing on a wet floor.

Downstairs, Bisou welcomed a guest at the front door. The guest shut the door, hearing the shower running and what sounded like someone singing. Nobody else was in sight, which was expected.

Riley stepped out of the shower, clean and smelling like Jeffrey's body wash. Still humming, she dried off the best she could before running a brush through her hair. She could hear Bisou running around the upstairs, probably chasing around her new rubber ball.

The sound of something being knocked over made her pause. She frowned, looking towards the door, listening for the sound of her paws. There was nothing.

Riley made sure the towel was wrapped tighter around her body, before opening the door and peeking her head out. Bisou was sitting there, ball by her feet and a hilarious smile on her face. Riley grinned, tilting her head at the animal, "Hey, what's up?" She asked, laughing when Bisou tilted her head to the side, as if she could almost understand what was being said.

From downstairs, a voice called, "Are you decent!?"

Riley jumped, feeling a heart attack coming on. Bisou barked, standing up and darting downstairs. There was a muffled curse, before the sound of footsteps coming up halfway made Riley respond, "I'm in a towel?"

"I don't mind if you don't." Christian said, coming up the rest of the way. She was wearing dark jeans and a pretty leather jacket, her hair tied up neatly. "Good, you're all done!"

"Y-yeah.." She said, before shaking her head, "Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but.. Shouldn't you be at work?"

Christian chuckled, waving her hand. "No, not today. Rosita doesn't appear in this episode, only like four major characters. Your man is all suited up to be Negan. Have you seen him yet?"

Riley shook her head, going back to the bedroom. Christian stayed put. "No, I actually haven't seen anything yet. I've been waiting until I get to his introduction episode."

"That's cool too.. Hey, are you about ready?"

Riley frowned, opening up the closet door. "Ready for what?"

"The girls and I want to take you out. We're driving up to Atlanta while it's still early, Jeff said that it would be good for you."

_Damn him_

"I didn't know that.. Sure, I'll be ready in a few."

"That's cool, I'll be downstairs."

Riley nodded, knowing she couldn't see but that didn't matter. She chewed on her lip, going to shut the door and taking off the towel, wrapping it in her hair while she looked for an outfit to wear.

Despite it being Summer, the weather was a little colder than usual. Riley decided on some jeans, and pulled out a concert t-shirt from seeing Sam Smith two years before, right before her 16th birthday. Jeffrey had some jackets she would be more than happy to borrow.

She only brushed her hair, adding a few hair-ties to her wrist before going downstairs, seeing Christian sitting on the floor, playing with Bisou.

"We're going to stop at Starbucks, if you want to wait on eating."

"Yeah, that's fine.."

"Come on, we still have to swing by and pick up the girls. You're getting shotgun."

After letting Bisou out one last time, they piled into Christian's Fusion and drove off, the windows cracked, but just enough for their hair to be gently moved.

"By girls, who all is coming?"

"Its us, Lauren, Alanna, and Katelyn."

"Katelyn.. Nacon?"

"The one and only."

"She looks so much like my friend, Taylor. It's really weird.."

"Does she? Wow, that is weird. She wasn't able to come last night, I think you two would get along just fine."

They drove in silence the rest of the way, heading about ten minutes North until they pulled onto the main set. Riley perked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the people inside.. More like Jeffrey, but hey, anyone else would be fine too. 

They waited a few minutes right outside, before the gates opened and out came the trio, jogging over before climbing in, Katelyn taking up the middle seat. Riley awkwardly sat there, still unsure of how to react with all of these celebrities wanting to spend time with her.

" Katelyn, this is Riley. Riley, Katelyn."

"Its nice to meet you, Riley! I love your name."

"Thanks, it's nice meeting you.." Riley said, her voice fading into a hush, making Christian smirk in her seat.

"Okay, let's hit the coffee shop and get our asses up to Atlanta for some shopping!"

**___**

"So, where's the kid at?"

"She's with the girls, I think she needed some time away from herself."

Norman nodded, wiping off his dirt stained hands so he'd be able to actually enjoy his lunch. "That's good, Chris was talking about her last night. I guess she really likes her."

"She's the one who volunteered first.. That's good, I'm glad. I'd hate to be here all of the time while she's either at home or hiding in my trailer."

"I don't really think you need to worry about that.. Riley seems like the type that's entertained by the littlest things."

"Still, sometimes we're out here all night. I just don't want her feeling alone."

Norman didn't respond, and in a way, Jeffrey was thankful. Today wasn't one of those days, though. Norman was hosting another party at eight, and if she was up for it, they'd go and hang out and eat some great food.. Norman was a great chef when it came to barbecue.

" Hey, when is it your boys weekend?"

"Not until next weekend, why?"

"You think they'll get along?"

Norman didn't even have to think, "Yeah, I know they would."

___

"Here, Jeffrey wanted me to give this to you."

As they approached the outdoor shopping mall, Lauren handed her a thin, white envelope. While they disposed of their coffee cups, she opened it, revealing a platinum card and a tiny note.

_ Enjoy yourself _

_ I love you _

_ Jeffrey _

Riley smiled, quickly pocketing the note before sticking his card in her phone case, not wanting to lose it.

"Where are we going first?" Alanna asked, looking at the huge wall map sitting in the yard. "This is my first day without my baby, I intend to treat myself."

"How about we go to.."

Riley felt someone saddle up beside her, and it turned out to be Katelyn. They smiled at each other. "You're really pretty."

"Thank you.." Riley said, "So are you."

Katelyn blushed, and it was then that the three older woman had decided on a store. "Are you guys coming? Or do you want to go off on your own?"

They decided to all stick together, Riley choosing to stand back with Katelyn as they made their way to the unknown. It was odd, as Riley never had a bunch of female friends that she did this with. It was usually only with Taylor, who she was missing even more now, especially since Katelyn looked so much like her.

They went into a store called  _Chicos_ , a place her mom shopped on occasion but Riley had never stepped foot in. She already knew there wouldn't be anything in there for her.

While they shopped, Katelyn sat by Riley, talking about her experiences since joining the show. It seemed like it was a big hassle; juggling school and the show at the same time, even though most of the filming was done over the Summer. Riley was interested, trying to get a first hand account of what Jeffrey really went through every day of his life.

"So, where do you shop?" Katelyn asked after a while, nodding her head at the other girls who were waiting in the checkout line, sunglasses on.

"I like  _Rue 21_ ,  _Hot Topic_.. I have a lot of clothes from  _Hollister_  that are extremely old, I guess I buy a lot more graphic tees now that I'm older.. That sounds extremely backwards."

The girls laughed, before standing up just as Lauren came over, two large bags in her hands. "Girls, you don't have to wait on us!"

"It's okay, I'm having fun chatting with Riley."

"Where to now, peeps?" Alanna's voice chimed in, holding a much smaller bag than Lauren's. "I could use some new flannels."

_"Forever 21_  has some really good ones, " Riley piped up, making all eyes turn to hers with wide grins. "I could buy a thing or two there.."

"YES, I LOOOVE  _Forever 21!"_  Christian said, coming over and leading the rest of them out of the store.

___

"And.. Cut! Great job, guys."

Jeffrey loosened his grip on Lucille, his hard expression fading into a smile when Norman gave him the finger, standing up from the ground while the actors stepped away from him, after giving Daryl a supposed beat down. He gladly returned it, before walking over to check his phone and get something to drink.

There were a few texts from his friends, but none from Riley. He didn't mind too much, only biting his lip and hoping she was doing alright with the girls. Jeffrey decided to break the ice, sending her a message that said:  **Hey, how's it going?**

He clicked off his phone, before grabbing a fresh bottle of water from the cooler and popping the lid, taking a much needed chug. Someone joined him, digging around in the cooler too, though when he turned around, they were looking right up at him.. And it wasn't Norman.

"Jeffrey! I didn't see you there!"

He cleared his throat, taking a sip while looking the other way. "Serena.." was all he said, trying not to give her lip. Like hell you didn't see me, how can you miss me?

"How are you doing?" she asked, standing at her full height of 5'8. Jeffrey immediately thought of the difference between her and Riley, and smiled, which was a mistake as she figured it was directed at her.

"I'm doing great. Not much has changed since last night."

"That's good, that's good.." she said, taking a look around, ".. So, where's Kylie?"

Jeffrey looked at her, an expression of pure hatred clear on his features. "Her name is  _Riley,_  and she's with a few of the girls today. I asked them to take her out."

Serena didn't seem fazed by him correcting her, only continuing on as if she didn't hear, "That was sweet of you! I'd hate for her to feel left out, especially surrounded by all of.. this." she said, using her arms to gesture at all of the sets and people surrounding them. "It's a lot to take in, especially someone who isn't famous."

"You're hardly famous yourself."

Like he expected, she gave him a look of pure surprise. He shook his head, walking away and heading towards his trailer to finish the rest of his break in peace.

___

Riley watched as the cashier scanned her items. Since it was going to be hot, she decided to invest in a lot of dresses. Her favorite was a strapped shoulder dress in light blue, a white ribbed dress, and a few camisole dresses that would be good for when it was just her and Jeffrey.

"Your total is $85.50."

Riley handed her the card, watching as she swiped it. Jeez, I feel like such a gold digger.

With her new stuff, she smiled, looking down at her bags.. It felt good, getting some new clothes, despite it being her boyfriend's money that she wasn't interested in. Shopping was better than I remember it being.

Lauren had went to the bathroom, so it was the other four patiently waiting in front of the store for her to return. Riley was happy, twirling her bag around while Christian talked about the next store they'd be heading to.

"After that we need to eat, I'm starving." Alanna said, checking her phone when it rang in her hand. "Crap, it's my baby daddy, I'll be back."

Then it was the three of them.

"You need to wear that white dress tonight, I'm actually able to come and I want to see it." Katelyn said, looking through Riley's bag after they found a bench nearby to sit in.

"What's tonight?" Riley asked, looking at both girls for an answer.

"Norman is having another one of his barbecues.. Didn't Jeff tell you?" Christian asked, a small frown on her face.

"No.. He hasn't said anything about it."

"That doesn't mean anything, I'm sure he was just waiting until tonight to ask. I heard they're neighbors anyway." Katelyn said quickly: the perfect recovery. "Chandler will be there too, you guys can get to know each other more."

Riley nodded, before catching the eye of Lauren and Alanna returning.

"Well, I say we forget another store and start heading home. We've already been to plenty."

"Wait! We still have to go to LUSH!"

Riley's eyes widened, standing up, "You like Lush!?" Riley asked, catching Alanna by surprise.

"Yeah, I use it for everything! Have you ever tried the.." she said, grabbing her arm and leading her in the direction of the store.

"Wow, they totally just clicked right about now." Lauren said, watching as the two hurriedly walked to their favorite store.

"That's a good thing, though.. Jeff said that she's been having a hard time lately, I guess she's estranged from her parents right now."

"You're not serious.." Katelyn said, looking at Christian with wide eyes. "Why?"

"He didn't go into details, but I think I know exactly why.. Come on, let's catch up before they buy out the entire store."

___

It was just after six o'clock when Christian pulled up to Jeffrey's house, just the two of them after dropping the girls back off at the set.

"Did you have fun?" she asked excitedly, turning off the car and turning in her seat.

"Yeah, it was great." Riley said, giving her a genuine smile. "Like.. I don't know, I was just worried about not fitting in with anybody."

"That's bullshit, you fit in just fine! We all like you, if anything, we were worried you wouldn't like us."

"Now that's ridiculous, it's hard not to. You all are so nice and welcoming."

Christian smiled, before looking at the digital clock on the radio. "Well hey, I'm going to run home for a few hours before the party. I'll see you later?"

"Of course, I'll be in white."

They shared a small fist bump, before Riley climbed out of the car with her few bags and went to the porch, finding the screen door open and it had to be because Jeffrey was home.

She came inside, shutting the door and making sure to lock it. The house was quiet, that not even Bisou came running for her the moment she entered. Riley looked around, before calling, "Jeffrey?"

No answer.

She chewed her lip, deciding to go upstairs and dump her bags on their bed for the meantime. She went up the steps, calling for him one more time to no avail. It wasn't until she reached the landing that she realized the shower was running.

Riley entered the bathroom, setting her things down before looking towards the bathroom door. It was cracked, but only enough that she could see the light. She approached it, peeking her head in, "I'm home, Jeffrey!"

"About fucking time, I've been thinking about you all day."

Riley grinned, leaning her head against the door, "Me too, I've missed you."

"I'll be out in a few minutes, sweetheart."

Riley nodded, putting the door in it's original place before going to the bed, plopping down and closing her eyes, kicking off her flats. No longer than a few minutes later the water shut off, and she could hear the door sliding open.

"How'd it go?"

"It went great, I really like them." she said, sitting up. "I can't wait to see them again tonight.."

"Tonight? You wanna go?"

Riley nodded, having realized in the car that the party had been brought it.. Only it was when she was supposed to be asleep. "Yeah, it sounds fun.. Katelyn and Chandler are going to be there too, she thinks we'd all get along."

The door opened and Jeffrey stepped out, his hair damp and slicked back and in nothing but sweatpants. "I think so too. They're both good kids, I think you'd get along just fine."

Riley nodded, watching as he sorted his clothes out between clean and dirty, before going back into the bathroom to hang up his towel. When he came back out, he shut off the bathroom light, rubbing his hands together before coming over and laying one on the top of her head, tilting her head back so he could kiss her forehead.

"How'd it go today?" she whispered, looking at him once he pulled back, his hand moving down to her cheek.

"It went fine.. It's nice being able to play that asshole again."

Riley grinned, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his chin. "Just do me a favor, don't bring that attitude home."

Jeffrey grinned, pressing a long, deep kiss to her lips. "I wouldn't plan on it."

After he pulled away, he went downstairs, bidding he was going to let Bisou out. Riley licked her lips, tasting him on her tongue. She smiled, before opening her bags to put her things away. Her dresses were neatly hung on her side of the closet, making sure to hide the ribbed dress behind all the other ones.

Her Lush bag was waiting to be opened. She dug inside, pulling out her face wash and moisturizer, setting it on the bed. Next came some bath bombs, having forgotten to pack the ones still at his house from a few months before. While she did this, Jeffrey reappeared, carrying a beer, planning on unwinding earlier tonight.

"You actually used my card!" he said, coming over and slipping his arm around her waist. "I was afraid you wouldn't buy anything."

"I didn't want to, but I guess I just couldn't help myself."

"I'm glad you did," he said, taking said card from her when she handed it to him. "You can't go to a mall and not buy anything, that's the stupidest shit I've ever heard."

"Here's one: go to the mall and work."

Jeffrey pulled back, giving her a playful glare. "You are such a fucking smartass!"

Riley laughed, scooping up her stuff and taking it into the bathroom before he could grab her and make her suffer.

**___**

A few hours later, Norman's house was so full they had people sitting in the backyard.

A fire had just been lit, and the grill had been shut off long ago. Friends of his were scattered here and there, though most of the occupants were his Walking Dead family. Riley was wearing her dress, sitting by the fire and she couldn't even tell that there was a cold breeze just beyond them.

"WE NEED S'MORES, SOMEONE GIVE ME S'MORES."

"Jesus, who gave Josh more beer!?"

"WHO HAS A FIRE WITHOUT S'MORES? YOU PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS!"

Riley laughed; a full belly laugh and the simple act made those around her chuckle too. Despite hating most alcoholic beverages, Christian had offered her a wine cooler, stating it was okay to have a bottle since she was being supervised. It was delicious, and she was pretty sure she had it at that party a while back. Being so inexperienced made her feel more tipsy than she should be.

"Someone needs to tell a scary story," Chandler said, tapping the lid on his bottle of water. "I bet Jeffrey has some good ones."

Beside her, he chuckled, shaking his head after taking a sip of beer. "Not me, kid. I'm the worst at scary stories."

"I have a reaaaaaallly good one!" Josh said, stumbling over and plopping down in his seat with a loud HUFF. "Okay, okay, here goes.."

Silence.

Riley raised her eyebrow, turning to look at Jeffrey, who only gave her a wink in return. Her face turned red.

".. So?" Norman said, waving his hand for Josh to continue.

".. Hell if I remember, someone else please go."

There were a series of groans and laughs, some doing a mix of both. Riley bobbed her foot, feeling Jeffrey's eyes on her, but she fought the urge to acknowledge him. When she had stepped out in the dress, his eyes about bulged out of his head, even though the dress was a subtle mix of sexy and cute. It showed the skin on her left side, a few inches down from her breasts and past her elbow. It reached just above her knees, making it skin tight.

His hand slowly reached over, wrapping over hers. Riley watched as he slowly threaded their fingers, making her smile.

"Anyone ready for karaoke?" Lauren shouted from the house; her voice excited and.. loud.

"YEEEES, LET'S DO SOME KARAOKE!" Christian said, standing up from her chair, "RILEY, COME ON!"

Riley froze, "No, it's okay.."

"Come on! Sing, it will be fun."

"Umm.."

Christian pouted, reaching over and taking the hand currently not being occupied by Jeffrey. "Please, I bet you have a lovely voice!"

Riley looked at Jeffrey, seeing him smiling softly, yet encouragingly at her. He nodded.

Much to her distaste, everyone sitting around the fire followed them into the house. Riley was pulled along by Christian, so Jeffrey stayed back with Norman, hearing what sounded like Andrew and Greg doing their best to sing an old rock tune.

"You ever hear her sing?" Norman asked, looking at his best bud.

"No, but I've heard her brother. I think it runs in the family."

The living room was filled with people already, so the addition of everyone outside, including Chandler, Katelyn, Josh, Danai, Ross, and Sonequa, made it more crowded and warm. Riley's heart was racing in her chest; she never did well under pressure, and she knew that her fear would be shown in her voice.

Thankfully, the two men decided to do another song, biding her time. Riley excused herself, going into the kitchen to search for another drink. Luckily, only a few of the girls took up the wine coolers, leaving plenty for her to take and not feel guilty about it. She popped the lid, before taking a few long gulps.

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

Riley slammed the bottle down, hiccuping when Danai came in, carrying a few empty cans of Miller Lite. The older woman looked concerned, seeing the half empty bottle of giggle juice. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just not thrilled a-about his whole singing thing."

"Come on, can't you hear Greg and Andy singing?" she asked, pausing to further showcase her point. Danai knew Andy actually had a good voice, but all of the booze going through his system made him not give a damn how off-key he sounded. "And I can tell just by looking at you that you're musically talented, don't even bother trying to say otherwise."

At that moment, the song ended. Less than thirty seconds later Christian came in, giving Riley a smile, "Hey, you're on!"

Riley felt like puking.

"You have to come pick it out, come on!"

Riley hesitantly walked over, allowing Christian to pull her out to the room full of people. Danai followed, taking her seat and Riley tried to not let all of the whoops and whistles bother her. Lauren waved her over to the computer, asking her to pick a song from the playlist. "Any song you can imagine, it's on here, this is one hell of a good karaoke server."

The last time Riley had performed in front of people was when she was a Sophomore in high school, in front of a full crowd of kids she never talked to.. This was different, though. These people were becoming her friends; some closer than others and she could never bring herself to sing in front of her family. Riley's love for theatre had her doing things she never imagined. In honor of that, she chose what she sang in front of nine-hundred some kids over three years ago.

"Ten bucks says she'll puke everywhere."

"Shut up, you dumbass." Jeffrey said, glaring at someone from the production crew, before turning his attention back to his girlfriend.

"I don't need the microphone.." Riley said, waving Lauren's hand away.

"OOOH, SHE'S A PROFESSIONAL!" Josh said, raising his glass to her, "Blow us away, chica!"

_

_

"ENCORE, ENCORE!"

"Dude, what is that from!?"

___

"Jeffrey!"

He hadn't been able to keep his hands off her ever since coming home from Norman's. "What? I'm not doing anything."

"I'm trying to sleep! This is so inconvenient."

He buried his face into her neck, letting his right arm wrap around her torso, pulling her back tightly against his chest. "It's been a few days.. Let me love on you."

"Maybe tomorrow night."

"Forget that, how about right now?"

Riley giggled, finally turning around in his arms. "You're so needy, my gosh.."

"Fucking sue me."

"I'm getting to the first part, trust me."

"Why'd you keep that a secret from me?" he asked, his beard tickling the sensitive skin on her neck.

"It's not that big of a deal.." Riley said, allowing her legs to spread open for him. "I guess I like people being surprised.."

"You should do something with it, you'll be great."

"I think my brother deserves it more than me."

"Really? And I think both of you do. You'll be fantastic, trust me."

"-Mhhhm, okay, talk about something else please."

When he reached her panties, he hooked his finger through the elastic, pulling it away from her skin and gently kissing where she was once hidden. Riley's toes curled in anticipation; though some of it was from the fact that his lips tickled her.

"You better not fall asleep on me," he warned, his eyes flickering up to meet hers. "This is going to be some good shit."

Riley said his name out of embarrassment, making him laugh as he nudged her panties to the far side, wasting no time in going to town.

Riley was certain that she'd never live down that one time she dozed off after writhing underneath him for a good record breaking sixty minutes.

Tonight was going to make up for that.

___

The next morning, both of them woke up in a tangle of sheets, Riley a little hungover from the two wine coolers she had.

"God, I'm such a lightweight." She groaned, hiding her face from the sun that was barely peeking out over the trees.

"It'll get easier the more you drink," Jeffrey mumbled, all the way on the other side of the bed, unruly hair the only thing peeking out. "Gotta give it a few spins."

Riley whined, curling up in a ball. Jeffrey only had a few more minutes before he was forced to get out of bed and work. He shifted, reaching an arm across the bed and placing his hand on her bare outer thigh.

"You're on your own for this one, buddy."

Jeffrey snickered, pinching her skin. "That's not what I'm wanting, babe. I have to get my ass up and out the door."

"Everyone is going to be massively hungover, how is anything going to get done today?"

"Hell if I know.."

After a few minutes, he climbed out of bed.

Riley gave up trying to fall asleep, throwing the sheets off her just as he came from the bathroom, giving her a small packet of Advil. She smiled, taking it before following him down the steps.

"I really want to see what your routine is like."

"It's not that much different than being at home, sweetheart."

Riley followed him into the kitchen, heading right for the refrigerator while he headed for the Keurig. She got some juice, leaning against the counter and watching him grab a k-cup of his favorite coffee.

".. is it true that sometimes presenters at an award show take a shot of vodka?"

He paused, closing the lid and giving her a funny look. "Where did that come from?"

Riley shrugged, sipping her orange juice. "I always think of weird stuff, you know that."

He grinned, placing a mug underneath the spout. "I do, and it's part of why I like you so much. To answer your question, it is known that we are sometimes tipsy."

Riley grinned, taking her medicine, "Oooh, that's awesome! I'm getting all of the good information now."

"You could hear more if you come with me today."

The look he gave her was hopeful, and she knew he was teasing her on purpose. "I don't know, I wouldn't want to distract you."

"Don't be stupid, you're not going to bug me. If anything, you're going to inspire me."

"Wow, that is so romantic, inspiring someone to play an choleric sociopath.. Amazing."

His grin didn't fade for the rest of the morning.

___

They walked onto set together, their arms brushing against each other as they did. The weather was already smoldering; so Riley decided on the blue shoulder dress she had just bought. Her hair was in a messy bun, glasses on, and her gray sandals. She looked cute as hell.

"MY HEAD HURTS!" a distraught voice said from afar, and it wasn't hard to tell that it came from Lauren who decided it was a good idea to slam back a little over a dozen shots of tequila after karaoke was finished.

"Oh yeah? I can't take off these glasses because I have a migraine and you keep SCREAMING EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH!" Christian said, standing straight across from them, making Riley smile when she pointed to her sunglasses to further her point.

"Let's steer clear of that," Jeffrey said, quickly grabbing her arm and leading her to the other direction. "I've seen too many drunken catfights to know what happens next."

"Jeff, over here!"

It was Greg. He waved them over, Jeffrey not giving Riley a choice and just pulled her along with him. Greg didn't seem to mind, only giving her a little wave before handing Jeffrey a small packet of papers. "These are your scenes for the day. We're cutting back on filming your scenes with the others since half of you are leaving tomorrow."

Riley chewed on her lip, looking up as Jeffrey flipped through the pages, a small smirk playing on his lips. She moved to her tip-toes, trying to sneak a peek but his hand reached out, splaying on the top of her head and pushing her back on her soles.

"I assume you know your lines?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." he answered, before closing the pages and nudging Riley's arm. "They waiting for me in costumes?"

"Yeah, and they'll probably need you in makeup too." Greg said, smiling when Jeffrey groaned, "Relax, I'm sure they'll just be dousing you in sunscreen, this weather is killer."

Jeffrey made a joke, one Riley didn't want to repeat. They left, Jeffrey tossing his arm over her shoulder and tucking his script under his free arm. "Am I not allowed to see that?" Riley asked, fingering the hem of her dress that gently blew in the wind.

"You'll see it in real time. I think that's better than reading it on a sheet of paper."

He let Riley wander off on her own while he changed and went to see what the makeup crew wanted with his beautiful face. She found a spot on the porch steps on one of the houses. People were bustling by, getting things ready and she hoped that whatever they were filming for the day, she wouldn't miss it by basking in the sun and breeze.

She dug out her phone, wanting to Skype someone, wherever it was Taylor or Avi. It was mid-morning and she knew that if Taylor wasn't awake, Avi would be.

 _It's been a few days, maybe you should just call him anyway_.

Riley nodded to herself, finding his account and reaching out.

They were connected less than thirty seconds when he answered, his face as clear as day on her phone. "Riley.."

The sight of him made her heart hurt. "Avriel.."

"You look cute, but it's too early for you to be up."

She smiled, "It's been a busy past few days, uhh.. This has been the norm."

"Where are you?" Avi asked, looking around as if observing the view behind her. "I don't recognize that house."

"About that.."

"You won't recognize this either," he said, standing up from his seat and doing a little twirl, showing off what seemed to be his new apartment. "I've been moved out for exactly nine days and you still haven't visited my new abode!"

"Where are you living?!" She asked, looking at the apartment that seemed to have come straight out of a magazine. "Are you still in Madison?"

"I'm not, actually. I moved to New York City."

"You can afford that?"

His laughter was genuine. "Believe it or not I can, I've recently acquired a large sum of money for my new album."

"... are you serious?"

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"You have, actually. Is it with that group you were talking to?"

Avi shook his head, sitting back down. "No. I did a few test runs with them and I just decided that it wasn't what I wanted to do. I'm going solo, I'm writing a few songs for an EP."

"THAT IS SO GREAT, JESUS!"

The siblings laughed; some bystanders giving her amused looks when she doubled over in laughter in her lonesome.

"It is, I'm very excited about this. I'm in the studio all week, you should come by for a few days."

Her laughter faded, and she suddenly grew nervous. "Uhh.."

He frowned, "What?"

"I'm sort of.. In another state?"

"Really? Where?"

"Georgia."

It clicked instantly in his head, and she knew it. "Jeffrey's back to work? You know, maybe you should thank him again for me. I'm about to release my music to the entire world and I wouldn't have been able to do it without him."

"Yes, he is. And no, I think you would have made it with or without him.. Oh, guess what?"

Riley told him all about the last few days. Meeting Norman, Christian, and the eerie resemblance between Taylor and Katelyn. Avi listened to her talk, relieved to hear that she seemed to be doing okay and what was going on back home wasn't holding her back too much.

"- I friggin' sang in front of everyone last night, and they all freaked the hell out and treated me like I was some big star."

"And what did you sing?"

_"That'll Show Him.."_

"Ooh, wow, really showing off that little education, aren't you?"

"Hey! It was probably the only song I could sing and not mess up!"

"You listen to a lot of music, I think you would have been fine! Pumpkin, I was  _there_ when you did that damn song and it was great, so don't fuck with me."

She rolled her eyes, happening to glance up just in time to see J making his way across the asphalt. Clad in a leather jacket, a white shirt, and jeans.. Her eyes zoned in on his face and she instantly melted.

"Riley? Heelllloo?"

"What?"

"You just.. Went into another dimension, is everything okay?"

"Yeah.. I'm great.. Hey, I actually have to go.."

"So do I, I should have already been out the door.."

"Don't let me keep you from working, Avi!" Riley scolded, standing up and shaking out her dress.

"Don't be ridiculous, it's my album and I'll do whatever the hell I want."

She giggled, and they quickly said their goodbye's before she ran across the brick path onto the street, making a beeline for an unsuspecting Jeffrey.

Turns out, the makeup crew only wanted to notify him ahead of time that in the coming weeks, the beard would have to be shaved off. Jeffrey was a mix of relieved and disappointed; it was hot as hell, but he grew attached to his facial hair, and it was a huge hit with Riley, too. He had immediately decided to keep it a secret, hoping that none of the others would spill the beans before he could get to her first.

The sound of quick paced footsteps behind him made him turn around, right before Riley collided with him, pulling him into a big hug. They hit with an  _'oof!'_

"Holy shit, where did you come from!?" he asked, giving her a firm squeeze before pulling back, taking her hands in his.

"I was just sitting around, talking to my brother and I saw you come out."

"Mhm, how's he doing?" he asked, releasing a hand and throwing his arm around her, continuing in the direction he was heading in.

"Let's see: he's now living in New York City, he's sort of rich, and he's making an EP. I'd say he's doing good."

Jeffrey expressed his joy to her as they kept walking, and she realized during that they were heading for the circle of cameras and other stars waiting. Greg was ordering people around, even using a walkie and Riley grew excited about what was going to be happening.

"You listen to what they say, okay? They might actually put you on trailer arrest if you misbehave."

Riley snickered, reluctantly pulling away from him and nervously cracked her knuckles, wondering where she was supposed to stand so she wasn't in the way of all of the important people.

Norman seemed to have been watching them, or just happened to be nearby as he had suddenly come up behind her to plant a wet one on her cheek. Riley squealed, darting away from him and the action caused Norman to laugh out loud.

"Ugh, that was gross!" she said, dissolving into a fit of giggles, the two becoming obnoxiously loud and when Greg cleared his throat, they immediately shut up, Jeffrey giving both of them an amused look.

The next few minutes were interesting.

Riley was kindly told where to stand. Thankfully, the woman from a few days ago wasn't lying when she said she'd be able to watch certain scenes being filmed. Riley even went as far as putting her phone in an empty directors chair, not wanting someone to get the wrong idea and get her into major shit. Her spot happened to be right behind Greg, who was sitting in a chair and looking over a thick booklet.

When Riley looked up, she saw Andrew holding a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. It looked cool as hell.

"Okay, guys! Everyone knows what scene this is, correct? Andrew, your starting line is.."

While they went over a few things, Riley watched as a few people walked down these steps, going into a place Riley guessed was supposed to be a basement. There was a large truck sitting out front, many guns laying there and she swallowed, seeing that at this point in the show, someone was seriously packing heat.

At that moment, Jeffrey and the others dispersed, and Riley immediately noticed something change in him. She was so intrigued that she couldn't look at anyone or anything else.. She didn't  _want_ to.

_"And.. Action!"_

Her stomach fluttered watching him do his thing.

His entire demeanor was different, shockingly so. The man she knew was gone, instead replaced with a character that one would think only a true psychopath could portray and that very thought made her think of how sweet Jeffrey really was.

The Daryl fans grew to love was very upsetting to see. Norman looked truly broken down, and she decided that she'd give him a hug once things settled down for the night. Riley was always intrigued by acting; it was cool and how naturally it came to some people made her jealous. Jeffrey was no exception to that, he was perfect.

It was even more interesting how he didn't approach her, not once. Whenever Greg called  _'cut!'_ , and they redid a certain part or moved to film another scene, Jeffrey steered clear of her and instead of being upset, she found it intriguing. He was Negan right now; and perhaps being around her would easily make him break character and that was the last thing she wanted him to do.

Maybe it was only because it was her boyfriend, but she found Negan to be hot as hell, and she's not ashamed to admit that.

When, finally, they were on break, Jeffrey shrugged out of the jacket, draping it over the same seat Andrew had perched Lucille on and his eyes met hers. Riley stared right back, not moving an inch when he walked over, a hand coming up to her cheek where he tilted her head down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm hungry, let's go eat."

They walked across the town, going to a building that was the REC room. Jeffrey explained that the cast all ate together, while the walkers ate in the other building on the opposite side, though there were none of those here today.

Much to their dismay, Serena had the same idea.

"She's here.." Norman said, coming up behind the couple and warning them, before hurrying to take the empty seat in their circular table.

Riley ate her chips, taking a peek to find Jeffrey wasn't paying attention to anything except his food. She decided to break the ice.

"Negan is pretty hot, isn't he?"

Norman paused, sandwich poised in the air. Jeffrey cleared his throat, drinking his water and doing his best not to laugh. Norman clearly didn't have the same concern, and instead put his sandwich down and hid his face with his hands so he could quietly laugh his ass off.

"What? I'm serious! All of that was so intense!"

"And I thought Daryl was the only one I had to worry about," Jeffrey joked, chuckling when she elbowed him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, giving her a noogie. "Don't play games with the devil, Riley Taylor!"

She struggled to get away, laughing and playfully clawing at his arms while Norman rooted him on. While they were occupied, Serena stood in the corner, sadly watching their interaction and immediately wondering why they never had that kind of connection.

_She's a kid. He needs a woman._

___

His hand slipped underneath her dress, coping a feel of her ass as she hovered above him, making out like teenagers.

There wasn't much to say; watching him portray a powerful figure like Negan most of the day did things to her and the attraction became too much to handle.

"Don't think I don't know what this is about, Riley." he mumbled, grinning when her lips trailed down the side of his neck. He gave her a squeeze.

"I'm still using you for your body, don't forget that."

Jeffrey's hand came up, fisting in her hair and yanking her head up, making her gasp. "You're a little shit, you know that?"

Her grin was contagious, and he couldn't help but laugh. "I don't want to lie to you.."

"Please do, it will hurt less." he said, not at all serious. "Does this mean we're continuing this?"

_"Yes!"_

Riley sat up, grabbing her dress in her hands and pulling it off. Jeffrey watched, his eyes twinkling when her tanned, silky skin was exposed to him. Her bra was navy blue, an easy match with her panties and something told him she had been prepared long before he even thought about fucking her.

Jeffrey knew that he'd never look at his trailer the same way again.

He sat up, knocking her hands to her side and reaching behind her, releasing the clasp to her bra. Her breasts popped out, no longer contained and he peeled the garment away, smiling when she reached up and released her hair from it's confines.

Jeffrey moved her, switching places. Now he was on top; in charge of her, just the way he liked it. He was absolutely in love with her body, and because of that, he knew exactly what made her tick and what she didn't like.. Her breaths were coming in soft pants, and when he kneeled off the couch, he hooked his fingers under the waistband of her panties.

"What do you want, baby?" he asked, rubbing his thumbs along her curvy hips.

"I want you, don't tease me."

Jeffrey grinned, moving her panties down her legs, leaving them on the floor. He didn't have time to react, though, as she pulled off his white shirt and discarded it. Her hands cupped his cheeks, kissing him. Jeffrey pulled her into his chest, his other hand reaching down and grabbing her ass, moving her around to where she was now sitting in his lap.

Riley pulled away, unbuckling his jeans and the look on her face was nothing but pure concentration. It was cute as hell.

When they were both naked, he pulled her into another kiss, this time grabbing her hips and lifting her up, aligning himself with her entrance, but not letting her sink down.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?" he asked, their lips just mere inches apart. Riley's hands clawed at his shoulders, leaving little scratches and he knew she was really pining for him.

She whimpered, gasping a little when he allowed her to take in his tip. Her legs began to tremble, but she took matters into her own hands and fought against him, bringing his form deeper inside her. A strangled groan bubbled in his throat, and he ultimately gave up trying to keep her contained.

After all, it's what she liked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> || my first time writing somewhat explicit smut in forever, so I apologize for it being so terrible. i hope you guys don't rely on it too much.  
> Yes, the video is the song that Riley decided to sing at karaoke. hope you enjoyed!


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